Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jan-Dec;13(1):1-21.
doi: 10.1080/19490976.2021.1894070.

The impact of the gut microbiota on the reproductive and metabolic endocrine system

Xinyu Qi  1   2 , Chuyu Yun  3 , Yanli Pang  1   2   4 , Jie Qiao  1   2   4   5   6
Affiliations
Review

The impact of the gut microbiota on the reproductive and metabolic endocrine system

Xinyu Qi et al. Gut Microbes. 2021 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

As the gut microbiota exerts various effects on the intestinal milieu which influences distant organs and pathways, it is considered to be a full-fledged endocrine organ. The microbiota plays a major role in the reproductive endocrine system throughout a woman's lifetime by interacting with estrogen, androgens, insulin, and other hormones. Imbalance of the gut microbiota composition can lead to several diseases and conditions, such as pregnancy complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and cancer; however, research on the mechanisms is limited. More effort should be concentrated on exploring the potential causes and underlying the mechanisms of microbiota-hormone-mediated disease, and providing novel therapeutic and preventive strategies.As the gut microbiota exerts various effects on the intestinal milieu which influences distant organs and pathways, it is considered to be a full-fledged endocrine organ. The microbiota plays a major role in the reproductive endocrine system throughout a woman's lifetime by interacting with estrogen, androgens, insulin, and other hormones. Imbalance of the gut microbiota composition can lead to several diseases and conditions, such as pregnancy complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and cancer; however, research on the mechanisms is limited. More effort should be concentrated on exploring the potential causes and underlying the mechanisms of microbiota-hormone-mediated disease, and providing novel therapeutic and preventive strategies.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; androgen; estrogen; insulin; reproductive endocrine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The impact of gut microbiota and its metabolites on inter-organ crosstalk contributes to obesity and insulin resistance
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The gut microbiota and its impact on the female reproductive tract, embryo development and pregnancy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R.. Revised estimates for the number of human and bacteria cells in the body[J]. PLoS Biol. 2016; 14(8): e1002533. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Qin J, Li R, Raes J, Arumugam M, Burgdorf KS, Manichanh C, Nielsen T, Pons N, Levenez F, Yamada T, et al. A human gut microbial gene catalogue established by metagenomic sequencing[J]. Nature. 2010; 464(7285):59–21. doi:10.1038/nature08821 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Edwards DP. Regulation of signal transduction pathways by estrogen and progesterone[J]. Annu Rev Physiol. 2005; 67(1): 335–376. doi:10.1146/annurev.physiol.67.040403.120151 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Franasiak JM, Scott RT. Introduction: microbiome in human reproduction[J]. Fertil Steril. 2015; 104(6): 1341–1343. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.10.021 - DOI - PubMed
    1. M B F, J F N, Blumberg RS. Immunology. Welcome to the microgenderome[J] Science. 2013;339:1044–1045. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types