Recent advances in understanding endometrial receptivity: molecular basis and clinical applications

Advancement in the field of ART has lead to the possibility of achieving good quality embryos. However, the success rate in ART needs further improvement. This is largely dependent on identifying the receptive endometrium for the successful implantation of embryos as well as modulating the endometrium to the receptive stage. In the last half-a-decade, focus has been shifting toward identifying the receptive endometrium. Here, we summarize different tools explored to identify receptive endometrium from the literature, mainly focusing on the past decade, with the help of PubMed. The quest to identify endometrial receptivity markers has lead to the exploration of morphological features at micro and macro scale levels. A large number of studies at molecular levels have focused on genomic, proteomic and lipidomic targets. Recent development of endometrial receptivity array is a promising diagnostic instrument. However, a noninvasive possibility for the diagnosis of endometrial receptivity would be an ideal tool, which could be used in the clinic to improve the success rate of ART. Improved knowledge on endometrial receptivity will not only help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of infertility but will also give possibilities to develop new contraceptive methods targeting the endometrium.