Molecular evaluation of proliferative-phase endometrium may provide insight about the underlying causes of infertility in women with endometriosis.

Purpose: To determine if endometrial gene expression is different in women with endometriosis-related infertility and fertile women.

Methods: Prospective study of mid-follicular phase endometrium in 47 subjects in two phases: microarray study of 10 infertile women with endometriosis and five fertile controls, and a quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) study of 27 infertile women with endometriosis and 15 fertile controls. Gene expression was determined by DNA microarray, and qRT-PCR used for 12 "promising" genes based on the microarray analysis.