PLACENTAL PROTEIN-14 IN CYCLES WITH NORMAL AND RETARDED ENDOMETRIAL DIFFERENTIATION

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether endometrium with retarded development differs, functionally, from endometrium with norm al 'in-phase' development. Precisely timed endometrial biopsies were o btained from 24 women suffering from unexplained infertility at 4, 7, 10 and 13 days following the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Frozen se ctions were labelled with an anti-placental protein (PP)14 monoclonal antibody using an avidin-biotin peroxidase technique and semi-quantifi cation of endometrial PP14 was performed using a Quantimet 970 image a nalyser. Serum PP14 and saliva progesterone were measured for each pat ient. Data were analysed using one- and two-way analysis of variance. Normal and retarded endometrium were identified in 16 (group I) and ei ght (group II) women respectively. Both groups demonstrated a signific ant increase of the area of precipitate measured for PP14 from day LH4 to LH+13. However, two-way analysis of variance showed that endometr ial PP14 was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the retarded endometriu m group at LH+10 and LH+13. Serum PP14 was also significantly lower (P < 0.01) in women with retarded endometrial development at LH+13. Wome n with normal endometrial development had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) concentration of cumulative saliva progesterone from LH+3 to LH5. This study indicates that there are functional differences between normal and retarded endometrium. These differences may adversely affec t uterine receptivity during implantation and the early placentation s tage.