Microbiological and Cytokine Profiling of Menstrual Blood for the Assessment of Endometrial Receptivity: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Endometrial receptivity (ER) is a key factor required for the successful implantation of the embryo. However, the evaluation of ER is challenging, as a nondisruptive sampling of endometrial biomaterial by conventional methods is only possible outside of the embryo transfer (ET) cycle. We propose a novel approach for the assessment of ER—microbiological and cytokine profiling of menstrual blood aspirated directly from the uterine cavity at the beginning of the cryo-ET cycle. The aim of the pilot study was to evaluate its prognostic potential regarding the outcome of the in vitro fertilization procedure. Samples collected from a cohort of 42 patients undergoing cryo-ET were analyzed by a multiplex immunoassay (48 various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors) and a real-time PCR assay (28 relevant microbial taxa and 3 members of the Herpesviridae family). Significant differences between groups of patients who achieved and did not achieve pregnancy were observed for G-CSF, GRO-α, IL-6, IL-9, MCP-1, M-CSF, SDF-1α, TNF-β, TRAIL, SCF, IP-10, and MIG (p < 0.05), whereas microbial profiles were not associated with the outcome of cryo-ET. It appeared that levels of IP-10 and SCGF-β were significantly lower (p < 0.05), in patients with endometriosis. Menstrual blood may provide great opportunities to noninvasively investigate various parameters of the endometrium.