- What symptoms
- Possible causes
- How the treatment is done
- Main types of hyperplasia
- Simple endometrial hyperplasia
- Endometrial cystic hyperplasia
- Focal hyperplasia of the endometrium
- Atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium
Endometrial hyperplasia consists of an increase in the thickness of the tissue that lines the uterus internally, due to an excessive exposure to estrogen, which can occur in women who do not ovulate every month or who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy made only with estrogen.
Endometrial hyperplasia is not always related to cancer, but there is a risk, and women who are more likely to develop endometrial cancer are those who, in addition to being more exposed to estrogen, are also obese, diabetic or suffer from liver disease or kidneys.
What symptoms
Symptoms that may occur in women with endometrial hyperplasia are abnormal uterine bleeding, abdominal pain and colic and a slight increase in the size of the uterus, as seen on ultrasound.
The diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia can be made by observing the symptoms presented and confirmed by transvaginal ultrasound. Find out what transvaginal ultrasound is and how it is performed.
Possible causes
Endometrial hyperplasia is caused by excessive exposure to the hormone estrogen and this can occur when the woman does not ovulate every month, due to polycystic ovary syndrome, during hormone replacement therapy, using only the hormone estrogen or if the woman has had a tumor in the ovary.
The greatest risk of developing endometrial hyperplasia occurs between 40 and 60 years of age.
How the treatment is done
Treatment for endometrial hyperplasia will depend on the type of hyperplasia the woman has and its severity, but therapeutic options include curettage of the endometrial tissue or use of medications such as progesterone or synthetic progestogens orally, intramuscularly or intrauterine.
After treatment, it is advisable to perform a biopsy of the endometrial tissue to verify the success of the treatment.
Main types of hyperplasia
The main types of endometrial hyperplasia are:
Simple endometrial hyperplasia
Simple endometrial hyperplasia is characterized by thickening of the less severe endometrial tissue that can be treated only with the use of medications and with follow-up imaging tests every 6 months or every year.
Endometrial cystic hyperplasia
Endometrial cystic hyperplasia generates a "Swiss cheese" appearance on the inner walls of the uterus and treatment can be done with the use of medication and curettage, but in the most severe cases, it may be related to endometrial cancer.
Focal hyperplasia of the endometrium
Focal hyperplasia of the endometrium generates endometrial polyps that develop as a form of localized growth, extending through the functional layer. With this abnormal growth, the polyps project into the uterine cavity, thus narrowing the normal size of the uterus.
Atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium
Atypical endometrial hyperplasia is a slightly more serious endometrial lesion than the previous ones and may be related to the development of endometrial cancer, its treatment will vary according to the stage of the disease, but may include the need to remove the uterus.
