Lack of Evidence That Male Fetal Microchimerism is Present in Endometriosis.
BACKGROUND
Fetal microchimerism has been implicated in the etiology of autoimmune diseases. This study was done to test the hypothesis that male fetal microchimerism is present in eutopic and ectopic endometrium (EM) obtained from women with endometriosis but not in eutopic EM from women without endometriosis.


METHODS
A total of 31 patients were selected, including women with endometriosis (paired eutopic and ectopic EM; n = 19) and women without endometriosis (eutopic EM; n = 12). Tricolor interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was performed by cohybridization of CEP Y SpectrumAqua and CEP X SpectrumGreen (SG)/CEP Y SpectrumOrange probes.


RESULTS
Ectopic EM from women with endometriosis had 75% XX chromosomes (double SG signals) and 25% X chromosomes (single SG signal). Y chromosomes were not observed in any of the eutopic/ectopic endometrial tissues from cases or controls.


CONCLUSIONS
We were unable to confirm our hypothesis that male fetal microchimerism is present in eutopic and/or ectopic EM obtained from women with endometriosis.
KULeuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Amelie
A
Fassbender
Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Maria
M
Debiec-Rychter
KULeuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium.
Rieta
R
Van Bree
Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Joris Robert
JR
Vermeesch
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Christel
C
Meuleman
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Carla
C
Tomassetti
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Karen
K
Peeraer
KULeuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Organ systems, Leuven, Belgium Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leuven University Fertility Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium thomas.dhooghe@uz.kuleuven.ac.be.
Thomas
T
D'Hooghe
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA lebovic@wisc.edu.
Dan I
DI
Lebovic
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D046528:Chimerism; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
FISH; endometrium; male fetal microchimerism