Gene Profiling of Endometrium Reveals Progesterone Resistance and Candidate Genetic Loci in Women with Endometriosis

The transition of regularly cycling endometrium from the proliferative or Estrogen-dominant phase of the menstrual cycle to the Progesterone-dominant Early and Mid Secretory phases requires wide-spread changes in gene expression that shift the endometrium from a proliferative capacity to a differentiated 'decidual' phenotype in preparation for implantation. This process appears delayed in women with severe endometriosis, suggestive of a progesterone resistant endometrium in this disease. Keywords: disease state analysis Endometrial biopsies were obtained from women both with normal endometrial pathologies and no history of endometriosis and from women with laporoscopy proven moderate-severe stage endometriosis. Samples were collected from the Proliferative(PE), Early Secretory (ESE) and Midsecretory (MSE) phases. Samples were then processed for Total RNA isolation and Affymetrix chip hybridization.