[Endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors in infertile women].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors (PgR) as well as its relationship with retarded endometrial development (RED) in infertile women.


METHODS
The progesterone profile, endometrial nuclear progesterone receptors (PgR) and endometrial biopsies were studied by using (125)I radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemical technique in 53 infertile women during median luteal phase. When the endometrial dating lagged 2 days behind the dating as determined by luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, diagnosis of luteal phase defect (LPD) was made. According to progesterone profile and endometrial morphology, the patients were divided into three groups: normal, luteal phase defect (LPD) and pseudocorpus luteum insufficiency (PLI).


RESULTS
During median luteal phase, RED were found in all of 24 cases with LPD and PLI, but PgR contents were different in them. Mean progesterone profile of 9 cases of PLI cycles was normal (60.2 nmol/L) but the endometrial nuclear PgR appeared to be prominently lower than in normal cycles during the median luteal phase (P < 0.01). Average progesterone level of 15 cases of LPD cycles were significantly lower (29.9 nmol/L) but endometrial nuclear PgR were similar to normal group (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Retarded endometrial development may have different causes. Measurement of endometrial nuclear PgR is of assistance in differential diagnosis.
Dai
L
L
Department of Pathology, People's Hospital, Beijing Medical University, Beijing 100044, China.
Shen
H
H
Yu
Y
Y
Wang
Y
Y
Zuo
W
W
Kan
X
X
D000328:Adult; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000503:physiopathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine; D008183:Luteal Phase; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000652:urine; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D011374:Progesterone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone