The effects of parity on the maternal microbiome - challenges associated with mouse models

Understanding how parity shapes the maternal microbiota is critical for advancing maternal and offspring health. We investigated the effects of parity and spacing between births on the maternal microbiota in mice. While maternal age strongly influenced microbiota diversity and composition, parity and lengths of gaps between births showed minimal impact. These findings highlight key model constraints that must be considered when designing longitudinal microbiome studies within and beyond the context of reproduction.