Hypermethylation of HOXA10 gene in mid-luteal endometrium from women with ovarian endometriomas.

A decrease in HOXA10 gene expression in eutopic mid-secretory endometrium has been found in women with endometriosis-associated infertility. Promoter hypermethylation of HOXA10 is thought to be the leading mechanism for epigenetic gene regulation in patients with endometriosis. In our series we documented significantly higher HOXA10 promoter methylation levels in women with ovarian endometriomas than in healthy controls during the mid-luteal phase. Development of epigenetic-based strategies for non-surgical treatment of infertility related to ovarian endometriomas could be an attractive field of research in the coming years.