Regenerative therapies for refractory thin endometrium in in vitro fertilization

Hsuan-Ju Chen, Ming-Jer Chen, Po‐Han Chang, Yuting Lu, Ya‐Wen Hsueh, Chia‐Wei Chang, Hsi-Chen Hsu, Tung‐Chuan Yang, Wu-Chou Lin, Maw‐Sheng Lee, Hsun‐Ming Chang
In: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · 2025 · vol. 13 , pp. 1668960 · doi:10.3389/fcell.2025.1668960 · PMID:41210253 · W4415494702
review OA: gold CC0
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Regenerative therapies including PRP, G-CSF, GH, and stem cell interventions show promise for refractory thin endometrium in IVF by increasing thickness and pregnancy rates, although larger trials are needed.

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

⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This narrative review examines evidence for regenerative therapies—platelet-rich plasma (PRP), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), growth hormone (GH), stem cell therapy, and stem cell-derived exosomes—to treat refractory thin endometrium in women undergoing IVF, summarizing clinical and preclinical studies up to July 2025. Across included reports, PRP and G-CSF are described as showing more consistent improvements in endometrial thickness and clinical pregnancy rates (especially in frozen embryo transfer), while GH is associated with increased endometrial proliferation and stem cell-based interventions and stem cell-derived exosomes show regenerative and angiogenic effects in preclinical models. The review explicitly cautions that most studies are limited by small sample sizes, methodological heterogeneity, and variable treatment protocols, and it does not apply a formal risk-of-bias assessment due to its narrative design. This paper is centrally about endometriosis—its stated focus is infertility-related thin endometrium in IVF, with no discussion of endometriosis-related mechanisms or treatments (included only for corpus relevance to endometriosis/adenomyosis keyword indexing).

Read from the paper's body, not the abstract. Not a substitute for reading the paper. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Refractory thin endometrium remains a significant challenge in assisted reproductive technology, frequently leading to poor endometrial receptivity and suboptimal outcomes in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In recent years, regenerative therapies such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), growth hormone (GH), and stem cell-based interventions, have gained increasing attention as promising strategies to enhance endometrial function and receptivity. Notably, growing interest has also focused on the therapeutic potential of stem cell-derived exosomes in facilitating endometrial repair, although clinical evidence remains limited. Recent studies suggest that regenerative interventions are administered either locally, via intrauterine infusion or sub-endometrial injection, or systemically at various stages of the IVF protocol. Among these approaches, PRP and G-CSF have shown consistent benefits in increasing endometrial thickness and improving clinical pregnancy rates, particularly in frozen embryo transfer cycles. GH has been associated with enhanced endometrial proliferation, while stem cell-based therapies, particularly those utilizing mesenchymal or bone marrow-derived stem cells, demonstrate potential to restore severely damaged endometrial tissue. In preclinical models, stem cell-derived exosomes have been shown to promote endometrial regeneration and angiogenesis, underscoring their potential for future clinical application. Despite these encouraging developments, most studies are constrained by small sample sizes, methodological heterogeneity, and variable treatment protocols, which hinder the ability to draw definitive conclusions. Taken together, regenerative therapies represent a promising new direction in managing refractory thin endometrium among IVF patients. Preliminary clinical outcomes, particularly those associated with PRP, G-CSF, GH, and stem cell-based approaches, are encouraging. However, robust, large-scale, and well-controlled clinical trials are crucial for validating efficacy, optimizing therapeutic protocols, and ensuring long-term safety. Among these innovations, stem cell-derived exosomes stand out as an especially exciting and emerging frontier in reproductive medicine, supported by compelling preclinical evidence that merits further investigation.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

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 (81)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK