Analysis of endometrial receptivity based on morphological Aspects

Introduction Infertility is a condition that affects a couple and is defined as the lack of conception after an arbitrary period of 12 months with regular sexual intercourse and without using any contraception. Infertility is a common medical problem present in about 10% of couples in reproductive age. Tubal factor infertility (TFI) is one of the leading causes of infertility in the world including Estonia. The most common method treating infertility due to TFI is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). In the IVF-procedure oocytes are fertilized in in vitro conditions followed by incubation for 2-5 days. Finally 1 to 3 embryos will be transplanted into the uterus. Occurrence of TFI decreases receptivity of the uterine mucosa by lowering the expression of ανβ3 integrins on the endometrial endothelium, which reduces the possibility of implantation. For the interaction between the endometrium and the embryonic cells special structures called pinopodes are needed [1, 2]. The role of endometrial pinopodes in TFI has not been thoroughly studied yet.