Prospective evaluation of uterine receptivity in mice

Abstract

In current infertility treatments it is necessary to evaluate uterine receptivity in each menstrual cycle. During the implantation period, the uterus goes through many complex orchestrated changes, including changes to the glycocalyx. The changes to the glycocalyx are due to sialylation, sulfation and fucosylation. Can the measurement of in-vivo uterine pH and/or oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) determine the alterations of uterine endometrium for implantation and evaluate prospective uterine receptivity? In the present study we assessed in vivo uterine pH and ORP during the early stages of pregnancy in naïve mice, as well as in a murine model of implantation failure created by local and transient suppression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. There was no change in the in vivo uterine pH between post-coitus Days 2 and 6. In vivo uterine ORP was significantly higher compared to the day before. One day before implantation began, uterine ORP was significantly decreased in the implantation failure group compared with the naïve and control groups. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of uterine ORP as a predictor of non-conception showed an area under the ROC curve of 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.92–1.00). Thus, in vivo uterine ORP could be a parameter to prospectively evaluate uterine receptivity.