The Relation Between Trichomonas Vaginalis and Female Infertility: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background & Objective: The association of Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) and infertility is controversial. There is a doubt regarding the relation between T. vaginalis infection and female infertility. This study is the first meta-analysis that investigated the association between T. vaginalis infection and risk of female infertility. Materials & Methods: Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were searched using appropriate keywords as major international electronic bibliographic databases up to January 2020. Q-test and I2 statistic were used for evaluating heterogeneity between studies as well as Begg's and Egger's tests for exploring publication. Results were reported by pooled odds ratio (OR) estimate from individual studies by choosing random-effects model. Results: In total, 650 articles were obtained by initial search until January 2020 with 9779 women. Results of the pooled OR estimates showed a significant association between T. vaginalis and infertility in adjusted studies (OR=1.95; 95% CI: 1.46, 2.43). Based on Begg's and Egger's tests, there was no evidence of publication bias (P=0.532 and P=0.896, respectively). Conclusion: There was a significant association between T. vaginalis and female infertility. However, more evidence is necessary to prove the potential association of T. vaginalis with an increased risk of female infertility.