Peritoneal macrophages and infertility: the association between cell number and pelvic pathology

Olive DL, D L Olive, David L. Olive, J B Weinberg, Weinberg JB, J. Brice Weinberg, Haney AF, Arthur F. Haney, A F Haney
Fertility and sterility · 1985 · vol. 44(6) , pp. 772–777 · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)49036-9 · PMID:4076434 · W2398377381
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Infertile women with endometriosis had significantly higher peritoneal cell counts than controls, with elevated macrophages correlating with infertility unrelated to mechanical factors.

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Abstract

Increased numbers of peritoneal macrophages have been repeatedly associated with infertility. Because the factors contributing to this intraperitoneal exudate are unknown, this study was carried out to determine which anatomic or endocrinologic abnormalities in infertile women might be associated with an increase in leukocyte numbers. The peritoneal fluid from 103 women was analyzed. Nonparametric data analysis demonstrated significantly greater cell counts in infertile women with endometriosis, compared with other infertile women (P less than 0.01) or fertile control subjects (P less than 0.005). Multiple regression analysis was then used to determine the relationship of individual variables to cell number without the influence of confounding factors. These data demonstrate that the best correlation with elevated macrophage number is in women who have infertility and no mechanical fertility factors (of which mild endometriosis is a subgroup). Thus, an increase in peritoneal macrophage number is not restricted to women with endometriosis but, rather, is seen in a subset of infertile women generally without mechanical or endocrinologic infertility factors.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Infertility, Female Macrophages Ascitic Fluid Cell Count Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Macrophages Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Pelvis Pelvis

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Cited by (50)

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