Couples and Microbial Diversity (CLARITY) – study is a prospective study that investigates the microbiome of couples, focusing on similarities between spouses and the potential impact of microbial composition on infertility, infertility treatment outcomes, and subsequent pregnancies. The study will be conducted at the Infertility Clinic of Tampere University Hospital and will recruit 200 couples undergoing infertility investigations and treatments. Oral and genital tract samples will be collected at baseline and every six months during a two-year follow-up period. Background information will be obtained through a secure online questionnaire.
Couples who achieve pregnancy will be followed according to the CLARITY protocol until delivery, after which families will transition to the CLARITY-Baby extension study. Samples from both the newborn and parents will be collected at delivery and again at six months postpartum, accompanied by an online follow-up questionnaire completed by the parents.