News | Study finds gut microbiota changes may affect fertility in women with PCOS
A study found that reduced levels of a key gut bacterium in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be associated with fertility problems and a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Researchers believe restoring this microbe could become a potential treatment approach for fertility problems related to PCOS.
PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age and a major cause of female infertility. However, its precise mechanisms remain unclear, particularly why women with PCOS who become pregnant are more likely to experience miscarriage, preterm birth, or gestational diabetes.
Study tracks pregnancy outcomes in 220 women
The study was conducted by researchers at Zhejiang University in China. The team followed 220 women from 44 Chinese cities, half of whom had been diagnosed with PCOS.
All participants were under age 35 and provided blood, stool, and endometrial tissue samples. Researchers used these samples to analyze gut microbiota composition and biological changes in the endometrium, then compared the findings with pregnancy outcomes.
Although overall pregnancy rates were similar in women with and without PCOS, women with PCOS were nearly twice as likely to experience pregnancy complications, including:
Miscarriage
Preterm birth
Gestational diabetes
Low birth weight
Marked reduction in a key gut bacterium
Further analysis found that women with PCOS had significantly less of the gut bacterium Parabacteroides merdae—about half the level found in women without PCOS.
Researchers believe this microbe may play an important role in reproductive health.
P. merdae can convert certain nutrients, such as the amino acid isoleucine, into beneficial metabolites including short-chain fatty acids, which play an important role in maintaining reproductive health.
Lower levels of this bacterium were accompanied by marked changes in the metabolic environment of women with PCOS. The study found:
Average blood isoleucine levels were about 39% higher in women with PCOS
Short-chain fatty acid levels were about 10% lower
Isoleucine levels were also elevated in endometrial tissue
These changes may affect endometrial function.
High amino acid levels may impair the endometrium
The research team cultured endometrial cells in the laboratory and exposed them to high levels of isoleucine.
The results showed a marked increase in biomarkers associated with cellular senescence, a state in which cells lose normal function because of damage or aging.
Isoleucine also disrupted key biological processes needed for endometrial cells to prepare for pregnancy.
Presenting the findings at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, study lead Liu Aixia said the results may indicate changes resembling premature aging in the endometrium.
She said, “Our data suggest that elevated isoleucine levels and reduced P. merdae may impair endometrial health, even in young women under age 35.”
Experts remain cautious about the findings
Although the findings have drawn attention, some experts remain cautious about their interpretation.
Professor Andrea Dunaif of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said she was skeptical of the “premature endometrial aging” interpretation.
She noted that some research suggests reproductive aging may actually progress more slowly, rather than faster, in women with PCOS.
Dunaif said, “Reproductive abnormalities in women with PCOS generally improve in their 30s, which makes me question whether these endometrial changes truly alter pregnancy outcomes.”
The gut microbiota may be a potential treatment target
Despite differing views, researchers and experts generally agree that the gut microbiota may remain an important direction for future PCOS treatment research.
Dunaif noted that compared with many complex endocrine problems, the gut microbiota is relatively amenable to intervention, for example through probiotics.
She said, “If we can change the composition of the gut microbiota, it could become a treatable target, because specific treatments for PCOS itself remain limited.”
Researchers believe that restoring key microbial populations through diet, probiotics, or other microbiome interventions may eventually improve the endometrial environment and reduce pregnancy complications in women with PCOS.
News | Study finds gut microbiota changes may affect fertility in women with PCOS
News | Study finds gut microbiota changes may affect fertility in women with PCOS
A study found that reduced levels of a key gut bacterium in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be associated with fertility problems and a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Researchers believe restoring this microbe could become a potential treatment approach for fertility problems related to PCOS.
PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age and a major cause of female infertility. However, its precise mechanisms remain unclear, particularly why women with PCOS who become pregnant are more likely to experience miscarriage, preterm birth, or gestational diabetes.
Study tracks pregnancy outcomes in 220 women
The study was conducted by researchers at Zhejiang University in China. The team followed 220 women from 44 Chinese cities, half of whom had been diagnosed with PCOS.
All participants were under age 35 and provided blood, stool, and endometrial tissue samples. Researchers used these samples to analyze gut microbiota composition and biological changes in the endometrium, then compared the findings with pregnancy outcomes.
Although overall pregnancy rates were similar in women with and without PCOS, women with PCOS were nearly twice as likely to experience pregnancy complications, including:
Miscarriage
Preterm birth
Gestational diabetes
Low birth weight
Marked reduction in a key gut bacterium
Further analysis found that women with PCOS had significantly less of the gut bacterium Parabacteroides merdae—about half the level found in women without PCOS.
Researchers believe this microbe may play an important role in reproductive health.
P. merdae can convert certain nutrients, such as the amino acid isoleucine, into beneficial metabolites including short-chain fatty acids, which play an important role in maintaining reproductive health.
Lower levels of this bacterium were accompanied by marked changes in the metabolic environment of women with PCOS. The study found:
Average blood isoleucine levels were about 39% higher in women with PCOS
Short-chain fatty acid levels were about 10% lower
Isoleucine levels were also elevated in endometrial tissue
These changes may affect endometrial function.
High amino acid levels may impair the endometrium
The research team cultured endometrial cells in the laboratory and exposed them to high levels of isoleucine.
The results showed a marked increase in biomarkers associated with cellular senescence, a state in which cells lose normal function because of damage or aging.
Isoleucine also disrupted key biological processes needed for endometrial cells to prepare for pregnancy.
Presenting the findings at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, study lead Liu Aixia said the results may indicate changes resembling premature aging in the endometrium.
She said, “Our data suggest that elevated isoleucine levels and reduced P. merdae may impair endometrial health, even in young women under age 35.”
Experts remain cautious about the findings
Although the findings have drawn attention, some experts remain cautious about their interpretation.
Professor Andrea Dunaif of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said she was skeptical of the “premature endometrial aging” interpretation.
She noted that some research suggests reproductive aging may actually progress more slowly, rather than faster, in women with PCOS.
Dunaif said, “Reproductive abnormalities in women with PCOS generally improve in their 30s, which makes me question whether these endometrial changes truly alter pregnancy outcomes.”
The gut microbiota may be a potential treatment target
Despite differing views, researchers and experts generally agree that the gut microbiota may remain an important direction for future PCOS treatment research.
Dunaif noted that compared with many complex endocrine problems, the gut microbiota is relatively amenable to intervention, for example through probiotics.
She said, “If we can change the composition of the gut microbiota, it could become a treatable target, because specific treatments for PCOS itself remain limited.”
Researchers believe that restoring key microbial populations through diet, probiotics, or other microbiome interventions may eventually improve the endometrial environment and reduce pregnancy complications in women with PCOS.
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