2025 · BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · open access
Oral, Vaginal, and Stool Microbial Signatures in Patients With Endometriosis as Potential Diagnostic Non-Invasive Biomarkers: A Prospective Cohort Study
Hicks et al.
The finding, in our words
Self-collected oral and stool samples revealed distinct microbiome compositions in patients with endometriosis compared to controls, with Fusobacterium enrichment specifically observed in oral samples from moderate to severe cases. These results support the feasibility of decentralised self-collection for non-invasive biomarker screening in reproductive health.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a one-week virtual home clinic with 134 participants, 86 per cent returned saliva and 84 per cent returned stool, and most components were feasible and acceptable despite device and logistical challenges. This supports decentralised, patient-centric self-collection of non-blood biospecimens for research.
In women with endometriosis, longer individual exercise sessions were associated with lower levels of salivary c-reactive protein and estradiol, as well as reduced pain and fat mass. The results demonstrate the utility of timed, at-home saliva self-collection for assessing systemic biomarkers in reproductive health research.
In a cross-sectional study of 90 adolescents, 94 per cent provided at least one salivary sample and 89 per cent supplied a stool sample, with high adherence to study instructions, indicating that self-collection of these biospecimens is feasible and acceptable in this age group.
A study found that fecal samples on FOBT cards and RNAlater, and oral samples in Scope mouthwash, remained stable for four days at room temperature, with fecal comparability ICCs ranging from 0.63 to 0.93. These methods support decentralised sampling, though consistent method choice is required as each may introduce modest differences.
This study validated self-collected stool and saliva for microbiome profiling, finding that microbial species and gene abundances were highly concordant across different preservation methods including freezing, ethanol, and RNAlater. These results support the feasibility of decentralised sampling for functional gut microbiota research.