Endometrial thickness during menopause

As a woman, if the thickness of the endometrium increases, it is easy to develop diseases such as uterine fibroids and endometritis. But for women, the thickness of the endometrium is different in each period. Adolescence is the healthiest period, and as age increases, the thickness of the endometrium begins to gradually thicken. So, do you know what the thickness of the endometrium is during menopause?

The endometrium is divided into two layers: the functional layer and the basal layer. The dense layer and spongy layer of the 2/3 endometrial surface are collectively called the functional layer, which are shed periodically under the influence of ovarian sex hormones. The basal layer is the 1/3 of the endometrium close to the myometrium. It is not affected by ovarian hormones and does not undergo cyclical changes.

Estrogen can cause uterine hypertrophy, and progesterone can promote special changes in the endometrium in early pregnancy, or change the properties of the endometrium so that it has the ability to produce decidua. The endometrium is covered with mucosa, which is composed of the mucosal epithelium and the underlying lamina propria. The mucosal epithelium is columnar epithelium, cuboidal epithelium or stratified columnar epithelium. When estrogen is secreted, each epithelial cell will grow and divide, increasing in number. The portion of the lamina propria below the mucosal epithelium is called the functional layer, into which epithelial cells enter to form uterine glands and respond to estrogen. The lower layer of the functional layer is called the basal layer, which is rich in blood vessels.

Thickening reasons:

1. Caused by endogenous estrogen

⑴ Anovulation: Anovulation may occur in adolescent girls, perimenopausal women, disorders in a certain link of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc., causing the endometrium to be continuously affected by estrogen for a longer period of time, without progesterone to counteract it, lacking the transformation of the cyclical secretory phase, and being in a state of hyperplasia for a long time. In patients with atypical endometrial hyperplasia under the age of 40, except for focal atypical hyperplasia, more than 80% of the endometrium has no secretory phase; 70% of the basal body temperature measurement results are monophasic. Therefore, most patients do not ovulate.

⑵ Obesity: In obese women, androstenedione secreted by the adrenal glands is converted into estrone by the action of aromatase in adipose tissue. The more adipose tissue there is, the stronger the conversion capacity and the higher the estrone level in the plasma, thus causing a persistent estrogen effect.

⑶ Endocrine functional tumors: Endocrine functional tumors are rare tumors, but in research statistics, endocrine functional tumors account for 7.5%. The gonadotropin function of the pituitary gland is abnormal, and ovarian granulosa cell tumor is also a tumor that continuously secretes estrogen.