Instituto Bernabeu makes progress in solving implantation failure studying the endometrial microbiota: the international journal Microorganisms publishes the results

One in 10 women who undergo assisted reproduction treatment suffer implantation failure; their embryo fails to nest in the uterus or miscarries in early stages. Instituto Bernabeu continues to make progress in the research work it began years ago and aims to advance in the development of diagnostic tests that can help patients who suffer implantation failure. The important results of a recent study carried out at Instituto Bernabeu, which has been published in the prestigious international scientific journal Microorganisms, demonstrates this. The results have been published in the special issue “Female Urogenital Microbiome in Health and Disease”.

The embryo implantation failure causes are a challenge for the medical-scientific community. The altered microbiota in the female genital tract influences implantation failure and, in turn, is a determining factor in the success of assisted reproduction treatments. Today, technological advances in mass sequencing have made it possible to identify the microbial communities of the uterine cavity and to better understand the ecosystem of endometrial microorganisms. The research aim, led by the biochemist Paqui Lozano and entitled Characterisation of the endometrial microbiome in patients with embryo implantation failure, is to identify and evaluate by massive sequencing (NGS) the endometrial microbiota of women who repeatedly suffer embryo implantation failure, comparing it with a group of patients undergoing assisted reproduction treatments.

A distinctive microbiota

“The study results have demonstrated the existence of a characteristic endometrial microbiota in patients with recurrent implantation failure and that there could be a relationship between the endometrial microbiota and embryo implantation failure, providing us with the possibility of improving clinical outcomes in these patients,” explains the biochemist. This research opens the way to help and provide solutions for these patients, as it confirms the importance of evaluating the endometrial microbiota in infertile patients. This way, restoring the endometrial microbiota can improve the in vitro fertilisation success rates and outcomes through treatment with antibiotics or specific doses of certain probiotics that could modulate the endometrial microbiome.

“Our aim, at Bernabeu Institute, is to achieve an evolving pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child, which requires an adequate microbiome of the female reproductive tract in patients with implantation failure,” adds the specialist.

Microbiome study genetic test

Instituto Bernabeu currently offers its patients the microbiome study genetic diagnostic test. The test is recommended for patients with endometritis, implantation failure and/or repeated miscarriage, who may suffer from an alteration in their endometrium microorganism’s balance. The results of this test contribute to treating the patient in order to re-establish the normal balance of their microbiome and increase their chances of achieving a successful pregnancy.

Characterisation of the endometrial microbiome in patients with embryo implantation failure

FM. Lozano, B. Lledó, R. Morales, A. Cascales, M. Hortal, A. Bernabeu,R. Bernabeu