Vaginal microbiota composition in pregnant women following cervical conization and radical trachelectomy

We aimed to provide a comparative analysis of the vaginal microbiota in pregnant women who underwent cervical conization (CZ) and radical trachelectomy (RT) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or early-stage cervical cancer. We included 114 pregnant Japanese women who underwent CZ group (n = 13), RT group (n = 20), or received no cervical treatments (CON group: n = 81) and cared at Keio University Hospital between 2019 and 2023. The differences in vaginal microbiota during the first, second, and third trimester using V1-V2 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA were investigated. Higher species diversity was observed in the CZ and RT groups than in the CON group; however, the abundance and composition of Lactobacillus were similar. The rate of preterm delivery in women who underwent cervical treatments was significantly higher than that in those who had full-term delivery; however, the species diversity and abundance or composition of Lactobacillus was not associated with preterm birth. Women who underwent CZ or RT had higher microbial species diversity than women who did not undergo a procedure; however, Lactobacillus abundance and composition remained the same. The cause of preterm delivery in women who received cervical treatment was not associated with Lactobacillus species diversity or abundance.