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A role for the endometrial microbiome in dysfunctional menstrual bleeding

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Abstract

This study aimed to characterise the microbial community within the endometrial cavity and endocervix in women with menorrhagia or dysmenorrhea. Paired endocervical and endometrial biopsy samples were collected from women undergoing operative hysteroscopy and/or laparoscopy. Samples were cohorted based on pathology, indications for surgery, and histological dating of the endometrium. Samples were interrogated for the presence of microbial DNA using a two-step next generation sequencing technology approach to exploit the V5–V8 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Pyrosequencing revealed that the endocervix and endometrium share a minor microbial community, but that each site harbours a separate and distinct microbial population (p = 0.024). This was also the case for women with menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea (p = 0.017). Lactobacillus spp. were the most abundant microbial taxa present in 50% of the cohorts, and across all endocervical groups. Members of the genera Prevotella, Fusobacterium and Jonquetella were the most abundant taxa identified in samples collected from nulliparous women. It can be concluded that the female upper genital tract is not sterile. Microbial community profiling revealed differences in the endometrial microbial community profiles for: (1) the endocervix compared to the endometrium, and (2), women with menorrhagia versus dysmenorrhea. The distinct microbial community profiles in these women may offer insight into the pathology and clinical management of dysfunctional menstrual bleeding.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Wesley Hospital theatre staff who facilitated collection of the genital tract samples. We wish to acknowledge the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics for 454 pyrosequencing and Professor Philip Hugenholtz and Dr Fiona May. This work was performed in the Thorsen Group Women’s Health Laboratory.

Funding

This work was performed in the Thorsen Group Women’s Health Laboratory and was supported by a Wesley Research Institute Grant (2011-18).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health, School of biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, PO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia

    Elise S. Pelzer & Flavia Huygens

  2. Women’s Health Laboratory, The Wesley Research Institute, The Wesley Hospital, Auchenflower, QLD, 4066, Australia

    Elise S. Pelzer

  3. Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Dana Willner

  4. The Wesley Hospital, Auchenflower, QLD, 4066, Australia

    Melissa Buttini

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  1. Elise S. Pelzer
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  2. Dana Willner
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Correspondence to Elise S. Pelzer.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participant were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Pelzer, E.S., Willner, D., Buttini, M. et al. A role for the endometrial microbiome in dysfunctional menstrual bleeding. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 111, 933–943 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-017-0992-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-017-0992-6

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