Effect of cyclic hormonal replacement therapy on the postmenopausal endometrium

The authors examined the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the uterine endometrium in 35 postmenopausal women. Double thickness of the endometrium was determined by ultrasonography (7.5/5.0 MHz vaginal head) prior to and 1 month after Klimonorm® combined HRT. The endometrium was wider in the early postmenopausal years than later. The pretreatment endometrium thicknesses were compared to the indices determined after 1 month of HRT with paired t test. The endometrium thicknesses increased significantly after HRT, though with great individual variability. The endometrium was wider than 5 mm in 74% of women after HRT. The increase of endometrium thickness was independent of the pretreatment endometrium thickness and the time elapsed since the menopause.