Sonographic changes in the endometrium of climacteric women during hormonal treatment

Abstract

Vaginal sonography of the endometrium is a new method of monitoring the effects of progestogen replacement therapy during the post-menopausal period. The advantages of transvaginal ultrasonic diagnosis are that the uterus can be seen from the fornix vaginae (that is from close range) and that the examination can be carried out whether the bladder is full or not. The differences in the thickness and structure of the endometrium, and the boundary with the surrounding myometrium, enable most of the endometrial changes that occur during the post-menopausal period to be detected sonographically. In the first group of patients we investigated, endometrial carcinoma was detected in 2 out of 60 women suffering from post-menopausal metrorrhagia, the findings subsequently being confirmed histologically. It was observed that post-menopausal women who have regular bleeding during post-menopausal hormone therapy show signs of endometrial proliferation during oestrogen therapy and of secretion during progestogen therapy.