Endometrial estrogen and progesterone receptors in infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding

Introduction: Evaluation of endometrial histology can be made more meaningful with the study of Estrogen and Progesterone receptor (ER and PR) status. Present study aimed at studying ER and PR status of normal endometrium and endometrium in infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding and elucidating its relevance and utility. Materials and Methods: This case control study was carried out on prospectively registered patients. It included 12 cases of infertility, 24 cases of abnormal uterine bleeding, 14 cases of uterine leiomyoma and 22 cases of age matched controls undergoing endometrial sampling for causes other than above mentioned conditions. The cases were subjected to thorough clinical evaluation. The study of endometrium was done with routine histology. Endometrial ER and PR expression was studied immunohistochemically. The data collected was analyzed to find out the variability of expression of endometrial ER and PR in normal and abnormal endometrium with student's t-test and correlation t-test (SPSS software version 11). Results: The ER and PR expression in normal endometrium showed cyclical variation. It was highest in the proliferative phase followed by the periovulatory phase followed by a significant decline in the late secretory phase. In cases of infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding with endometrial dysfunction; late secretory endometrium showed increased ER expression as compared to controls. Conclusion: Variations noted in endometrial ER and PR expression in infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding provided insight in its pathogenesis and helped in contemplating treatment options.