The Role of the Endometrium in Implantation: A Modern View

Abstract

According to the current data, the endometrium acts as a “sensor” of embryo quality, which promotes the implantation of euploid embryos and prevents the implantation and/or subsequent development of genetically abnormal embryos. The present review addresses the nature of the “sensory function” of the endometrium and highlights the necessity for assessing its functional status. The first section examines the evolutionary origin of the “sensory” ability of the endometrium as a consequence of spontaneous decidualization that occurred in placental animals. The second section details the mechanisms for implementing this function at the cellular level. In particular, the recent findings of the appearance of different cell subpopulations during decidualization are described, and their role in implantation is discussed. The pathological consequences of an imbalance among these subpopulations are also discussed. Finally, the third section summarizes information on currently available clinical tools to assess endometrial functional status. The advantages and disadvantages of the approaches are emphasized, and possible options for developing more advanced technologies for assessing the “sensory” function of the endometrium are proposed.