Overview
- The PLOS One study, led by University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School researchers, was published on January 14, 2026.
- The cohort included 48 third-trimester participants: 23 with inflammatory bowel disease (18 with Crohn's disease and 5 with ulcerative colitis) and 25 healthy controls, with more than half of IBD participants in remission.
- Vaginal bacterial composition was largely similar between groups, but the IBD group showed higher IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17 and lower IFN-γ and IL-4.
- Across all participants, greater vegetable intake and lower added-sugar intake were linked to higher levels of Lactobacillus crispatus and a less pro-inflammatory cytokine profile.
- Authors caution that the modest sample size and single third-trimester sampling limit causal inferences, though the inflammatory profile may help explain higher risks such as preterm birth and bacterial vaginosis in IBD pregnancies.