Research into the endometrial microbiome is changing how we think about the uterine environment and reproductive health. This 20-part educational series explores what researchers have discovered, what remains uncertain, and what IVF patients may want to discuss with their fertility team.
POST 1
What Is the Endometrial Microbiome?
Learn what researchers mean by the endometrial microbiome and why it has become an important area of fertility research.
POST 2
What Is Lactobacillus and Why Does It Matter for Fertility?
Learn why Lactobacillus is considered an important beneficial bacterium and what researchers are discovering about its relationship to reproductive health and fertility.
POST 3
What Is Dysbiosis and How Might It Affect Fertility?
Learn what dysbiosis means and why researchers are studying whether an imbalance in the uterine microbiome may influence reproductive health.
POST 4
Vaginal vs. Endometrial Microbiome: What's the Difference?
Learn why the vaginal and endometrial microbiomes are different and why understanding that distinction matters in fertility research.
POST 5
How Do Scientists Test the Endometrial Microbiome?
Learn how researchers collect and analyze samples to study the endometrial microbiome and why testing this delicate environment can be challenging.
POST 6
Can Probiotics Improve the Endometrial Microbiome?
Learn about the tests being used to study the endometrial microbiome, what they may reveal, and the important limitations patients should understand.
POST 7
Can Antibiotics Affect the Endometrial Microbiome?
Research into the endometrial microbiome is still evolving, but growing knowledge may help us better understand the uterine environment and reproductive health.
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POST 8
Can Stress Affect the Endometrial Microbiome?
Understanding emerging fertility research can help you have more informed conversations with your fertility team and ask better questions about your care.
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POST 9
What Disrupts the Endometrial Microbiome?
Explore factors researchers are studying that may influence the balance of microorganisms within the uterine environment.
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POST 10
Can the Endometrial Microbiome Play a Role in Recurrent Implantation Failure?
Understand why successful implantation depends on more than embryo quality, including the complex interaction between the embryo and the uterine environment.
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POST 11
Can the Endometrial Microbiome Play a Role in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss?
Explore why researchers are studying whether the balance of bacteria in the uterus may be associated with implantation, early pregnancy, and recurrent pregnancy loss.
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POST 12
Can Antibiotics Affect the Endometrial Microbiome?
Take a closer look at what IVF patients should know about antibiotic use and how antibiotics may affect the balance of bacteria in the endometrial microbiome.
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POST 13
Can the Endometrial Microbiome Affect Embryo Implantation?
Explore why successful implantation depends on more than the embryo and what researchers are learning about the possible role of the endometrial microbiome.
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POST 14
Probiotics and IVF: Can Lactobacillus Improve Your Chances?
Explore new research into Lactobacillus probiotics and what scientists are learning about their possible role in the reproductive microbiome and IVF.
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POST 15
Should You Test Your Endometrial Microbiome Before IVF?
Learn what endometrial microbiome testing may—and may not—tell you, who might consider testing, and what current research says about its use before IVF.
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POST 16
Chronic Endometritis: The Silent Inflammation That May Affect Fertility
Learn what chronic endometritis is, why it can occur without obvious symptoms, and why this inflammation of the uterine lining is being studied in fertility and IVF.
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POST 17
Antibiotics and the Endometrial Microbiome
Learn why finding bacteria in the uterus does not automatically mean there is an infectionor that antibiotics are always needed.
POST 18
Can Your Vaginal Microbiome Test Reveal What Is Happening in Your Uterus?
Explore why the vaginal and endometrial microbiomes are connected but are different environments—and why a vaginal sample may not tell the whole story about what is happening inside the uterus.
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POST 19
Recurrent Implantation Failure: Where Does the Endometrial Microbiome Actually Fit?
Explore where the endometrial microbiome may fit into the evaluation of recurrent implantation failure—and why microbiome testing is not automatically the next step after failed embryo transfers..
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POST 20
The Endometrial Microbiome: What IVF Patients Should Take Away From This Series
Review the key lessons from the series—what researchers know, what we're still learning, and the questions IVF patients may want to discuss with their fertility team.
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