Immunohistochemical markers of uterine receptivity in the human endometrium

A. O. Ilesanmi, Ilesanmi AO, Denise A. Hawkins, D A Hawkins, Hawkins DA, Lessey BA, B A Lessey, Bruce A. Lessey
Microscopy research and technique · 1993 · vol. 25(3) , pp. 208–222 · doi:10.1002/jemt.1070250304 · PMID:8400422 · W2080051159
review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 10 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review discusses immunohistochemical markers like progesterone receptors and integrins for evaluating human uterine receptivity, finding they are delayed in infertile women.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

The factors responsible for the initial interaction between maternal and fetal epithelium leading to the establishment of pregnancy remain poorly understood. Temporal and spatial expression of specific endometrial peptides in response to ovarian steroids is thought to contribute to the development of a period of uterine receptivity, whereby the endometrium becomes hospitable to the implanting blastocyst. The failure to establish receptivity may account for a significant percentage of the cases of infertility in the female, especially affecting women with luteal phase deficiency, leiomyomata uteri, endometriosis, habitual abortion, and unexplained infertility. In addition, despite increasing global experience with advanced reproductive technologies, the majority of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) attempts remain unsuccessful, most likely on the basis of implantation failure. In this article, we review the concepts involved in the study of uterine receptivity in the human, highlight potential immunohistochemical (IHC) markers that have recently been discovered, and discuss how IHC assessment of the endometrium is a potentially valuable method for the evaluation of the receptive endometrial state. Using this approach we have examined several new potential markers of uterine receptivity. Endometrial progesterone receptors and one of the integrin cell adhesion molecules appear to undergo changes in expression around the time of implantation, and may be sensitive indicators of the receptive state. Further, these markers are delayed in women with infertility and luteal phase deficiency. These studies illustrate the utility of IHC diagnosis for the evaluation of endometrial function.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Biomarkers Embryo Implantation Endometrium Animals Biomarkers Cervix Uteri Cervix Uteri Cervix Uteri Cervix Uteri Embryo Implantation Endometrium Endometrium Endometrium Epithelium Epithelium Female Humans Immunohistochemistry Pregnancy

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (10)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-08-09T06:10:49.860119+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:11:39.448046+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK