Lipidomics as an emerging tool to predict endometrial receptivity

From the first histologic dating methods to the new "-omics'' technologies, there has been a lot of effort put into understanding and characterizing receptive endometrium. The development of new diagnostic approaches to using biologic fluids has opened up a new field of investigation in noninvasive endometrial diagnosis techniques. Moreover, improvements in the field of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance have made the precise detection of lipids possible; these organic molecules are involved in important functions such as modulating energy reserves, forming structural features, and promoting regulatory functions. Developments in endometrial receptivity diagnosis using lipidomics are discussed in this review paper. In summary, the results currently available indicate that prostaglandins E-2 and F-2 alpha are particularly abundant during the window of implantation and that they might serve to nurse the blastocyst at the time of embryo implantation; they may also serve as important biomarkers to define the receptive phase of the endometrium. The importance of understanding the mechanisms that influence the production of these individual prostaglandins in the endometrium is clinically relevant because it may shed light on the sequence of events that leads to successful embryo implantation. (Fertil Steril (R) 2013;99:1100-6. (C) 2013 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)