Authors: Ibadin Ngozi Ogbenyalu, Okojie Rachael O, Ibadin Kennedy Osegua.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogenous endocrine disorder frequently diagnosed in women attending fertility clinics in Nigeria. It is characterized by anovulation, hyper androgenism and polycystic ovary, several factors have been associated with the pathophysiology of this disorder including microorganisms. Microorganisms frequently and transiently colonize the female genital tract.
A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in four selected fertility clinics in south-south and south southeast part of Nigeria, The purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants. A total of 206 women were recruited in this study, 101 (49.1%) women fulfilled the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS, while 105 women (50.9%) without PCOS were included as control. Paired follicular fluid samples and high vaginal swabs were collected from each woman at the time of oocyte retrieval and sent to the laboratory for microbiological analysis.
Microbial biochemical identification was done using the analytical profile index (API). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0.p- value of <0.05 was considered significant.
A total of 206 F.F samples were cultured, colonizing bacteria were isolated in 109 (52.9%) samples while 97 (47.1%) samples had isolates graded as contaminants. Lactobacillus spp. was the most frequent isolate found in colonized Follicular fluid with 67 (62.5%) On the other hand, Escherichia coli was the least common isolate in colonized Follicular Fluid (F.F) 4 (3.7%), there was no statistical difference between bacterial colonization in women with PCOS and the control group (p>0.05). The present study shows that the follicular fluid is not sterile, oocytes are exposed to colonizing microbes even before fertilization and subsequent embryo culture. The main aim of the study or research was to investigate the microbiological characteristic of the follicular fluid in women with PCOS.
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