Endometrial Receptivity in Women with Endometriosis

Despite the association of endometriosis with infertility, the exact reason why endometriosis affects conception and pregnancy establishment remains ambiguous. For successful embryo implantation, a good-quality embryo and optimal endometrial receptivity are required. While the effect of endometriosis on oocyte quality has been demonstrated, the negative effect of endometriosis on uterine receptivity is still under debate. Different pathological processes involving inflammation, immune modulation, aberrant angiogenesis, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix remodelling, and genetic and epigenetic changes together with microbial environment could impact endometrial receptivity and implantation process in women with endometriosis. However, there is no consensus on whether endometrial receptivity is dys-regulated and which molecular mechanisms are involved in women suffering from this chronic disease. This chapter will provide an overview of the available data on endometrial receptivity in endometriosis.