Endometrial Biopsy in Infertile Patients

June 23, 2005 updated by: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Utility of the Endometrial Biopsy in the Evaluation of the Luteal Phase

When a woman becomes pregnant, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the lining of the uterus (endometrium). The endometrium is constantly changing throughout a woman's menstrual cycle in response to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. The endometrium must have certain characteristics (be at a specific phase in its cycle) in order for the fertilized egg to successfully attach. Infertility may be caused by an "out of phase" endometrium (i.e., the endometrium doesn't have the right characteristics when the fertilized egg reaches it). The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the endometrial biopsy is useful in predicting the potential for becoming pregnant and bearing a child.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate the utility of the endometrial biopsy as a tool for the routine evaluation of the luteal phase of women presenting for infertility evaluation. The study will establish whether the mid-luteal or late-luteal phase is the most appropriate time to perform an endometrial biopsy. The study will be conducted through the multi-center Reproductive Medicine Network.

Women with a history of infertility will be age matched to fertile women (controls). Women will be randomized either to the mid-luteal phase (7 to 8 days post-ovulation) endometrial biopsy group or to the late-luteal phase (12 to 13 days post-ovulation) endometrial biopsy group. Endometrial specimens will be evaluated histologically by a "blinded" pathologist.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

880

Phase

  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35249
        • University of Alabama
    • Colorado
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80262
        • University of Colorado
    • Michigan
      • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
        • Wayne State University
    • New Jersey
      • Newark, New Jersey, United States, 07103
        • University of Medicine and Dentistry, NJ
    • Pennsylvania
      • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
        • Pennsylvania State University
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390
        • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Baylor College of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 39 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Fertile Patients (controls)

  • No history of involuntary primary or secondary infertility
  • Willingness to discontinue hormonal contraceptives for 1 month prior to and through the duration of the study
  • At least 1 child delivered within 24 months prior to study entry
  • Most recent pregnancy resulting in a live birth (no interim spontaneous abortions)
  • Tubal ligation within 24 months of study entry is acceptable if all other criteria are met

Inclusion Criteria for Infertile Patients

  • History of primary or secondary infertility for a period of at least 12 months
  • No hormonal treatments in the month preceding study entry
  • No history of tubal ligation

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Evan Myers, MD, MPH, Duke University Medical Center and Duke Clinical Research Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 1999

Study Completion

February 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 15, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 15, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

July 16, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 24, 2005

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2005

Last Verified

May 1, 2003

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • U01HD038997 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NICHD-0803

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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