The significance of lymphocytic-leukocytic infiltrates in interpreting late luteal phase endometrial biopsies.

The effectiveness of the endometrial biopsy in diagnosing luteal phase defects as a cause of infertility depends upon the accurate determination of a histologic date based on the morphologic features of tissue. The criteria--edema, predecidual reaction, stromal mitosis, and lymphocytic-leukocytic infiltrate--used to interpret such biopsies were based on changes occurring in the normal ideal menstrual cycle. The present study examines the criteria used for dating endometrium as applied to endometrial biopsies for luteal phase deficiency. It was determined that one of these criteria, lymphocytic and leukocytic infiltration, correlated with subsequent onset of menses and not with the other indications of histologic maturity during the late secretory phase.