Assessing Receptivity of the Human Endometrium to Improve Outcomes of Fertility Treatment

Abstract

Despite considerable improvements in assessment of embryo quality in infertility clinics, outcomes in terms of take-home baby rate have not improved substantially. Failure of the endometrium to achieve receptivity and the timing of the receptive period are now recognised as important issues in the success of IVF. Indeed, immunohistochemical and morphological studies show that the endometrium is highly disturbed in any cycle in which ovulation induction is performed, leading to recommendations that all embryos be frozen and replaced in a non-stimulation cycle. Assessment of any woman for endometrial receptivity either in cycles prior to treatment or testing for the potential for an embryo to implant in the cycle of transfer is urgently needed. However, careful consideration must be given to issues such as sampling, timing and rapid delivery of results as well as the best biomarkers, to enable in-clinic decision-making. Here these issues are

Unexplained Primary Infertility is associated with Lack of Tight and Adherence Junction between Endometrial Cells

“…Unexplained infertility is an attractive study group in the search for target junctions concerned with endometrial receptivity and implantation. 1,2 Implantation depends on the quality of the embryo and receptivity of endometrium. Furthermore, in assisted reproduction techniques, impaired uterine receptivity is the major reason behind embryo-implantation failure.…”