Endometrial Receptivity and its Predictive Value for IVF/ICSI-Outcome

Abstract

Endometrial receptivity plays a crucial role in the establishment of a healthy pregnancy in cycles of assisted reproduction. The endometrium as a key factor during reproduction can be assessed in multiple ways, most commonly through transvaginal grey-scale or 3-D ultrasound. It has been shown that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation has a great impact on the uterine lining, which leads to different study results for the predictive value of endometrial factors measured on different cycle days. There is no clear consensus on whether endometrial factors are appropriate to predict treatment outcome and if so, which one is suited best. The aim of this review is to summarize recent findings of studies about the influence of endometrial thickness, volume and pattern on IVF- and ICSI-treatment outcome and provide an overview of future developments in the field.

Zusammenfassung

Die endometriale Rezeptivität spielt eine entscheidende Rolle für den Beginn und den Erhalt einer Schwangerschaft. Die physiologische Ausbildung eines implantationsfördernden und -erhaltenden Endometriums wird daher als Schlüsselfaktor bei allen fertilitätsunterstützenden therapeutischen Behandlungen angesehen. Dabei wird in der Praxis der Zustand des Endometriums mithilfe des Einsatzes des transvaginalen Ultraschalls bestimmt. Die kontrollierte ovarielle Überstimulation, wie sie im Rahmen einer IVF-Therapie angewandt wird, kann einen erheblichen Einfluss auf den Zustand des Endometriums zum Zeitpunkt der Untersuchung haben. Bislang gibt es allerdings keinen klaren Konsens darüber, ob endometriale Faktoren geeignet sind, um das Behandlungsergebnis einer IVF-Therapie verlässlich vorhersagen zu können. Das Ziel dieser Übersichtsarbeit ist es daher, die aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse über den Einfluss der mithilfe von Ultraschallmessungen gewonnenen endometrialen Parametern im Rahmen der IVF-Behandlung zusammenzufassen und einen Überblick über zukünftige Entwicklungen auf diesem Gebiet zu geben.

Key words

assisted reproductive technology (ART) - pregnancy - sonography

Schlüsselwörter

assistierte Reproduktion - Schwangerschaft - Ultraschall

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