A new study from The ReproHealth Research Consortium, Zealand University Hospital found that probiotics do not improve unhealthy vaginal flora when administered vaginally in a daily capsule to patients for 10 days before fertility treatment. Dr. Ida Engberg Jepsen from The Fertility Clinic at Zealand University Hospital, Denmark, stated that the ′spontaneous′ improvement rate observed among patients may provide grounds for a change in approach towards IVF timing. Based on the study result, more than a third (34%) of all women who took part in the trial showed an improvement between the trial period of a month to three months, regardless of whether they took a probiotic or not.

The study suggested that the likelihood of pregnancy in IVF can be affected by many factors, including the type of bacteria that naturally colonize the reproductive tract. However, no significant difference was observed between women in the treatment group and placebo/control group. On this basis, the authors suggested that it may be worthwhile to postpone fertility treatment among patients with an ′unfavorable′ vaginal microbiome until a normal balance is achieved. Dr. Jepsen explained that the study didn’t show any improvement in the suboptimal vaginal microbiome in women taking vaginal lactobacilli probiotics. Hence, she concluded that the specific vaginal probiotic tested in this study did not affect the favourability of the vaginal microbiome before IVF. 

Research has shown that pregnancy and live birth rates are higher among women whose vaginal microbiota is dominated by lactobacillus, a genus of lactic-acid-producing bacteria. Results showed that the vaginal microbiome improved by 40% in the placebo group and by 29% in those taking the lactobacillus probiotic. A similar profile was observed in the menstrual cycle. The researchers claimed that the numbers represent an insignificant difference and concluded that “the broad categorization of the vaginal microbiome profile may not capture more subtle changes that could affect fertility”.

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/study-shows-that-probiotics-are-inefficient-in-improving-poor-vaginal-health-101657001364774.html )