Menopausal and Post-Menopausal Anatomic Changes in Uterus and Vagina

Abstract

The anatomic changes in the endometrium of menopausal and pre-menopausal [female][female] are more or less the reverse of those seen at puberty and in early adolescence, particularly as to the relatively frequent occurrence of anovulatory cycles. While the post-menopausal process is, in general, a retrogressive one, the post-menopausal endometrium is by no means always of atrophic type. Its histological variations appear in part to be imposed by the character of the terminal cycles, in part by the occurrence or non-occurrence of post-menopausal estrogenic stimulation, and in part, no doubt, to the degree of sensitivity or refractoriness of endometrial areas to this estrogenic influence. A number of these various histological pictures are described. Despite little evidence on the subject, it is highly probable that similar variations, as a result of similar factors, occur in the histology of the post-menopausal vagina.