Vaginal microbiota in pregnancy

This article is about the specific organisms found in the lower reproductive tract of pregnant women. For More details, see Vaginal flora.

The vaginal microbiota is the population of microorganisms that resides in the vagina. The vaginal microbiota in pregnancy differs from the microbiota present prior to sexual maturity, during reproductive years, and after menopause. A description of the vaginal microbiota of pregnant women who are immunocompromised is not covered in this article. The structure of the vaginal microbiome significantly differs in pregnancy.[1] Bacteria or viruses that are infectious most often have no symptoms.

Normal microbiota

Further information: Vaginal flora

Microbiota in pregnancy

In normal pregnancy, the resident vaginal microbial flora is thought to provide protection against infection. The microbiota during pregnancy is predominantly Lactobacillus spp. Microbiota composition can change during the course of the pregnancy. If the microbiota populations become more diverse, indicating that the normal Lactobacillus-dominated population has changed to a bacterial vaginosis population, risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes increase.[2] Vaginal discharge is common during pregnancy but is not an indicator of bacterial vaginosis or abnormal Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota.[3] The treatment of abnormal vaginal microbiota populations with lactobacilli and estriol during pregnancy was found to restore the microbiota to a normal state.[4]

Bacterial vaginosis and pregnancy

Bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy is an alteration of the normal vaginal microbiota of pregnancy. Intrauterine infections in pregnancy are caused by bacteria that cause inflammation. The women may experience few or no symptoms. This sometimes leads to chorioamnionitis and other negative pregnancy outcomes. When there are high bacterial counts in of the vagina during pregnancy is typically due to the presence of the following organisms:

References

  1. ↑ Africa, Charlene; Nel, Janske; Stemmet, Megan (2014). "Anaerobes and Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy: Virulence Factors Contributing to Vaginal Colonisation". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11 (7): 6979–7000. doi:10.3390/ijerph110706979. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 4113856Freely accessible. PMID 25014248.
  2. ↑ Lamont, RF; Sobel, JD; Akins, RA; Hassan, SS; Chaiworapongsa, T; Kusanovic, JP; Romero, R (2011). "The vaginal microbiome: new information about genital tract flora using molecular based techniques". BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 118 (5): 533–549. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02840.x. ISSN 1470-0328.
  3. 1 2 Petrova, Mariya I.; Lievens, Elke; Malik, Shweta; Imholz, Nicole; Lebeer, Sarah (2015). "Lactobacillus species as biomarkers and agents that can promote various aspects of vaginal health". Frontiers in Physiology. 6. doi:10.3389/fphys.2015.00081. ISSN 1664-042X.
  4. ↑ Unlu, Cihat; Donders, Gilbert (2011). "Use of lactobacilli and estriol combination in the treatment of disturbed vaginal ecosystem: a review". Journal of the Turkish German Gynecological Association. 12 (4): 239–246. doi:10.5152/jtgga.2011.57. ISSN 1309-0399.
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