The success of blastocyst implantation is dependent on receptivity of the uterine luminal epithelium. In the transition to receptivity, the uterine luminal epithelial cells (UECs) undergo a series of morphological and biochemical changes (plasma membrane transformation) that permit blastocyst attachment for subsequent implantation. Nectin-3 is a ubiquitously expressed Ca⁺²-independent immunoglobulin-like adhesion molecule known to be a key regulator of cellular movement, adhesion, polarisation and barrier function through its role in the formation of adherens and tight junctions. We aimed to investigate a potential role of nectin-3 in the rat maternal endometrium around the time of implantation (day 6), given that UECs undergo substantial changes in their actin cytoskeleton and polarity in the transition to receptivity. Here we show via immunofluorescence and western blotting techniques that nectin-3 is present during early pregnancy in the rat and specifically, is increased at the apical cell surface of UECs at the time of implantation on day 6 of pregnancy. We further show that nectin-3 protein expression is regulated by progesterone and estrogen; however comparable expression to that found at the time of implantation requires blastocyst presence, as determined in pseudopregnant animals. Finally we demonstrate via immunoprecipitation that nectin-3 is potentially linked to the actin cytoskeleton through its interaction with afadin on day 6 of pregnancy. Cumulatively these results suggest that nectin-3 may serve as another protein player that contributes to the adhesive interactions between the uterine luminal epithelium and the blastocyst around the time of implantation.