Uterine findings by transvaginal sonography during percutaneous estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of hormone replacement treatment (HRT) with percutaneous estradiol and cyclical peroral medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) every month or every third month on the uterus and endometrium of postmenopausal women. Methods: Uterine size and endometrial thickness were measured by transvaginal sonography in 159 postmenopausal women before HRT, and after 6 and 12 months on HRT during 9-12 days of the MPA administration periods. Results: During HRT, uterine size and endometrial thickness increased. The percentage increase in uterine diameter varied between 3.8% and 19.6%, and endometrial thickness varied between 28.7% and 76.4%, being greater in the group receiving MPA every third month than in the groups receiving MPA every month. Myomas grew during the first 6 months on HRT but increased no further during the next 6 months on HRT. Conclusions: The increases in uterine size, myomas and endometrial thickness during HRT were moderate and not problematic and occurred mainly during the first 6 months on HRT.