The Relationship Between Vaginal Microbiome and Infertility: A Descriptive Trend Analysis (1947-2024)
Abstract
Background: The menstrual cycle and gestational state, as well as other physiological factors, have a substantial impact on the vaginal microbiome, which aids in preventing infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome can cause infertility as well as adverse outcomes in pregnancy. The aim of this study is to examine the studies examining the relationship between vaginal microbiota and infertility in Scopus and WoS databases in terms of different variables and to compare them by revealing their bibliometric profiles.
Methods: We conducted a bibliometric study to determine the scholarly papers published across all journals that addressed the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and infertility. Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases were accessed for all the published articles on vaginal microbiome and infertility. The number of publications by year, language, country, institute, author, journal, and impact factors (IF) are reported as bibliometric indicators.
Results: Our findings indicate that the topic is much understudied; only 161 papers met the criteria set forth in our research. But, a striking increase was observed after 2020. The United States, China and Italy drew attention as the countries that contributed the most to the literature.
Conclusion: Prospective and clinical studies on the mechanisms linking the vaginal microbiome of the female reproductive system to reproductive physiology may shed light on infertility treatment.
Keywords
vaginal microbiome , dysbiosis , infertility , bibliometrci analysis
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