LYMPHOID-TISSUE IN THE ENDOMETRIUM OF WOMEN WITH UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY - MORPHOMETRIC AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ASPECTS

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the endometrium o f women with unexplained infertility differs in some immunological asp ects from the endometrium of normal fertile women. Endometrial biopsie s were obtained from 24 normal fertile women (group I) and 24 women su ffering from unexplained infertility (group II) at 4, 7, 10 and 13 day s following the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Endometrial granulated lymphocytes were assessed morphometrically in 2 mu m resin sections. A panel of 11 monoclonal antibodies was employed to characterize the l eukocyte subsets in frozen sections. Semi-quantification was performed with a Quantimet 970 image analyser. Data were analysed using one- an d two-way analysis of variance. Compared with fertile controls, women with unexplained infertility had significantly lower numbers of CD8+ ( T suppressor/cytotoxic) cells at each post-LH date. In contrast, the n umber of CD4+ (T helper/ inducer) cells,vas significantly higher in gr oup II. Throughout the luteal phase, infertile women had fewer CD56+ c ells than normal fertile controls. The volume fraction of endometrium occupied by the nuclei of endometrial granulated lymphocytes did not a lter with the cycle stage but the mean nuclear diameter and axial rati o decreased from LH+7 to LH+13. The differences observed in endometria l leukocytic subpopulations between fertile and infertile women may co ntribute to unexplained infertility probably by affecting the embryoni c maternal dialogue during the implantation and early placentation per iod.