Infertility has broken homes and destroyed marriages. While some couples are lucky when it comes to childbearing such that getting pregnant and having babies are as easy as wishing for it, Some others will require the help of experts. Even with the help of experts, sometimes, it still fails. Researchers at UNIZIK have found a link between the species of bacteria found in the sperm of the man and the vagina of the woman and the rate of success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in couples looking for babies.
The research outcome published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
(Doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.709372 ) revealed that successful IVFs have more of a healthy microbe called Lactobacillus jensenii and Faecalibacterium in the sperm and more of Lactobacillus gasseri in the vagina of the couple. This groundbreaking research was led by Somadina I. Okwelogu of the department of medical laboratory science with Joseph I. Ikechebelu of the department of gynaecology and obstetrics, Nneka R. Agbakoba of the department of medical laboratory science and Kingsley C. Anukam of the department of Pharmaceutical microbiology. This study has opened a window of possibility for Lactobacillus replenishments in men and women before IVF treatment.