Glycoprotein for use in determining endometrial receptivity

A method of monitoring effects of a treatment protocol to induce ovarian hyperstimulation or ovulation induction on uterine receptivity in a patient comprising:

• (a) obtaining an uterine fluid or endometrial biopsy sample from the patient receiving treatments to induce ovarian hyperstimulation or ovulation induction on at least one of days 18-24 of a reproductive cycle;
• and
• (b) detecting a level and/or distribution of progesterone-induced uterine protein-1 (PUP-1) glycoprotein in the sample, wherein the PUP-1 glycoprotein is characterized by:
• (I) being a progesterone induced and estradiol inhibited secretory glycoprotein specifically from stromal cells of endometrial origin;
• (ii) having a molecular weight of 70,000 daltons as determined by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis;
• (iii) having an isoelectric point of 5.7;
• and
• (iv) being synthesized by human endometrium at times of the reproductive cycle which coincide with fertilization, early embryogenesis, and implantation;
• and wherein an altered distribution of the PUP-1 glycoprotein in the biopsy sample relative to that detected in normal receptive controls, and/or a decreased level of the PUP-1 glycoprotein in the sample relative to that detected in samples of uterine fluid or endometrial biopsy from normal receptive controls, and/or a level of the PUP-1 glycoprotein in the sample substantially the same as that detected in samples of uterine fluid or endometrial biopsy from non-receptive controls indicate that the treatment protocol may be disrupting uterine receptivity in the patient.