The effects of microbiota on reproductive health: A review

Abstract

Reproductive issues are becoming an increasing global problem. There is increasing interest in the relationship between microbiota and reproductive health. Stable microbiota communities exist in the gut, reproductive tract, uterus, testes, and semen. Various effects (e.g., epigenetic modifications, nervous system, metabolism) of dysbiosis in the microbiota can impair gamete quality; interfere with zygote formation, embryo implantation, and embryo development; and increase disease susceptibility, thus adversely impacting reproductive capacity and pregnancy. The maintenance of a healthy microbiota can protect the host from pathogens, increase reproductive potential, and reduce the rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In conclusion, this review discusses microbiota in the male and female reproductive systems of multiple animal species. It explores the effects and mechanisms of microbiota on reproduction, factors that influence microbiota composition, and applications of microbiota in reproductive disorder treatment and detection. The findings support novel approaches for managing reproductive diseases through microbiota improvement and monitoring. In addition, it will stimulate further systematic explorations of microbiota-mediated effects on reproduction.

Keywords:

• Microbiota
• genital tract
• infertility
• pregnancy
• semen
• premature birth

Acknowledgment

We thank Ryan Chastain-Gross, Ph.D., from Liwen Bianji (Edanz) (www.liwenbianji.cn) for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability

No new data were generated or analyzed in support of this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32172726), the National Key Research and Development Program of Jilin Province, China (20210202048NC, 20210202103NC), and the Key Research and Development Project of Hunan Province, China (2020NK2066 and 2022NK2025).