BACKGROUND A better understanding of endometrial receptivity is crucial to the creation and optimization of tests to assess the window of implantation in a clinical setting. Testing endometrial receptivity via scanning electron microscopy of endometrial samples reveals that pinopodes are a very good marker of endometrial receptivity in the rat. There is still disagreement in the literature as t...

Embryo implantation represents the most critical step of the reproductive process in many species. Inadequate uterine receptivity is responsible for approximately two-thirds of implantation failures. The cell adhesion molecule (CAM) such as integrins, cadherins, selectins and immunoglobulins intervene to ensure adhesiveness between the embryo and the endometrium. Some recent studies indicate th...

The endometrium is a hormonally regulated organ that is non-adhesive to embryos throughout most of the menstrual cycle in humans. Endometrial receptivity refers to a hormone-limited period in which the endometrial tissue acquires a functional and transient ovarian steroid-dependent status allowing blastocyst adhesion. Functional genomic studies of human endometrium in natural cycles have demons...

This article highlights the need for methods to objectively diagnose endometrial receptivity as a factor contributing to infertility in female patients. The correct identification of the appropriate window of implantation in a given patient, by using endometrial receptivity biomarkers, can help to prevent reproductive failure resulting from misplaced timing of the endometrial window of implanta...

Embryo implantation requires a healthy embryo and a receptive endometrium (inner lining of the uterus); endometrial receptivity acquisition involves considerable epithelial surface remodeling. Dystroglycan (DG), a large cell surface glycoprotein, consists of α- and β-subunits; β-DG anchors within the plasma membrane whereas α-DG attaches extracellularly to β-DG. The glycosylated central α-DG me...

The impact of a premature elevation of serum progesterone level, the day of hCG administration in patients under controlled ovarian stimulation during IVF procedure, on human endometrial receptivity is still debated. In the present study, we investigated the endometrial gene expression profile shifts during the prereceptive and receptive secretory stage in patients with normal and elevated seru...

Progesterone is essential for endometrial receptivity in primates. It is now evident that embryo-derived signal influences implantation stage endometrium under progesterone dominance, and collectively results in endometrial receptivity to implanting blastocyst. Previously, a few studies were performed using global gene profiling based on microarray technology to identify changes in gene express...

While in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was initially developed in women with tubal factor infertility, recent clinical studies have suggested that the presence of hydrosalpinges lowers implantation and pregnancy rates. We postulated that these hydrosalpinges cause impaired endometrial receptivity. A total of 103 women with hydrosalpinges were prospectively evaluated, and compared with 55 infertile ...

Endometrial receptivity is a complex phenomenon that plays a vital role in infertility. Although quality of embryo can be evaluated for a successful implantation, endometrial receptivity is still an unknown factor. With advances in technology, the microarray approach has provided an 'omic' tool to evaluate endometrial receptivity. In Latin, 'omic' means the whole family. The genomic, proteomic,...