Ultrastructural markers of tissue endometrial receptivity in patients with recurrent implantation failure

Abstract

The scanning electron microscopy of the endometrial surface epithelium during the ‘implantation window’ was performed in 119 patients with uterine factor of infertility or recurrent miscarriage due to endometrial hypoplasia. Ultramorphological picture of the surface endometrial epithelium was characterized by aplasia and hypoplasia of pinopodes (67.39%), dense cell – cell contacts (69.53%), heteromorphy of secretory cells (15.22%) in combination with atypia of microenvironment cells (50%) in patients with infertility. The asynchronous development of pinopodes (46.67%) and the absence of intercellular contacts separation during the ‘implantation window’ (84.44%) was observed in patients with recurrent miscarriage. The revealed disturbance determines the mechanisms of the blastocyst adhesion violation and trophoblast invasion in the different stages of implantation in patients with uterine factor of infertility and recurrent miscarriage.

Keywords:

• Endometrial receptivity
• infertility
• implantation
• recurrent miscarriage
• pinopodes

Disclosure statement

The Study performed in the Federal Research Institute of Maternity and Child Care, Russian Ministry of Public Health as part of the federal state program for the research.

Authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The research protocol was approved by the local ethics committee of the Federal Research Institute of Maternity and Child Care, Russian Ministry of Public Health, September 12, 2017, Paper No. 5.