In women who had difficulty conceiving for 1 year, a common bacterium was found to be responsible for periodontitis.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Helsinki shows that common periodontitis pathogens are associated with infertility in women. This finding is particularly important, as previous studies have never been so clear. In particular, periodontitis was generally associated with health problems and never with anything as specific as it is now.
The study was performed on a sample of 256 healthy women with a mean age of 29.2 years (involving women aged 19 to 42 years). These women had discontinued contraception in order to become pregnant.
The participants underwent clinical examinations of dental and gynecological nature. In addition, saliva was analyzed for possible periodontitis and a cervical specimen was detected for possible bacteria. Participants were examined 12 months later to determine if they had finally become pregnant.
A common finding in the saliva of women who did not become pregnant within the first year of the study was the bacterium Porphyromona. This bacterium is associated with the occurrence of periodontal disease. Respectively, the levels of antibodies to this pathogen were particularly high in these women.
Statistical analysis of the data showed that this finding was independent of other factors that affect the ability to conceive women such as age, smoking, socio-economic status, etc.
