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A study by MELISA Institute, published in Scientific Reports, shows how researchers can track thousands of proteins in cervicovaginal fluid over seven consecutive days. By analyzing samples collected daily from the same women, the team could compare how well two workflows detected changes in protein abundance.

In a pioneering study of cervicovaginal fluid samples from the EARLY-PREG biobank, researchers at MELISA Institute validated a proteomics workflow that quantified about 50% more proteins than the comparison workflow.

By collecting samples from each woman on consecutive days, researchers can track how protein levels change from one day to the next. The method opens up new ways to study fertility, the earliest stages of pregnancy and biomarkers of clinical interest in the EARLY-PREG preconception cohort.

EARLY-PREG is a research platform built around a longitudinal preconception cohort. Women enroll before pregnancy, and the biobank records when each specimen was collected in relation to the participant's menstrual cycle. Researchers can therefore place each molecular measurement in its biological context.

The team uses the urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) surge as a reference point for ovulation. This allows researchers to follow changes within each woman and compare measurements across women at equivalent points in their cycles.

Cervicovaginal fluid can be collected with a minimally invasive procedure. It contains proteins involved in a range of reproductive processes. Measuring its proteome—the set of proteins present in the fluid—reveals how their abundance changes over time.

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