Thickness of endometrium by days of cycle

Endometrium is the inner layer of the uterus, which is a mucous membrane rich in blood vessels. Its main function is to create favorable conditions for the implantation of the fetal egg in the uterine cavity, in addition, it plays a major role in the menstrual bleeding common to all women.

What determines the thickness of the endometrium?

Endometrium consists of two layers - basal and functional, which in response to the action of hormones undergo monthly cyclic changes. During menstruation, a gradual detachment of the functional layer occurs, resulting in the destruction of the blood vessels that penetrate it - this explains the occurrence of monthly bleeding in women. By the end of menstruation, the thickness of the endometrium becomes quite thin, after which, thanks to the regenerative capacity of the basal layer, the amount of epithelial cells and vessels of the upper layer again begins to increase. The thickness of the endometrium reaches its maximum size in the period before the monthly, ie immediately after ovulation. This suggests that the uterus is completely ready for conception and is able to attach a fertilized egg to the uterine cavity. If the fertilization of the egg does not take place, then during the next menstruation the functional layer starts to peel off again.

What should be the thickness of the endometrium on the days of the cycle?

1. The onset of the menstrual cycle - the bleeding phase

With the onset of bleeding, the desquamation stage begins, which lasts for several days. During this period, the normal thickness of the endometrium is 0.5 to 0.9 cm. On the 3-4th day of menstruation, this stage is replaced by a regeneration stage, at which the thickness of the endometrium can be 0.3 to 0.5 cm.

2. The middle of the menstrual cycle - the proliferation phase

During the early stage of proliferation, which is determined on the 5th-7th day of the monthly cycle, the endometrium has a thickness of 0.6 to 0.9 cm. Then, on the 8-10 day of the cycle, the middle stage begins, characterized by an endometrium thickness of 0.8 to 1 , 0 cm. The late stage of proliferation occurs on days 11-14 and the endometrium at this stage has a thickness of 0.9-1.3 cm.

3. End of the menstrual cycle - the phase of secretion

At the early stage of this phase, which falls on the 15-18 day of the monthly cycle, the thickness of the endometrium continues to increase gradually and amounts to 1.0-1.6 cm. Next, from the middle of the day 19-23, the middle stage begins, at which the greatest thickness of the endometrium is observed - from 1,0 to 2,1 cm. Already at the late stage of the secretion phase, approximately 24-27 days, the endometrium begins to decrease in size and reaches a thickness of 1.0-1.8 cm.

The thickness of the endometrium in a woman with menopause

During menopause, the woman undergoes age-related changes, in which reproductive functions die out and the lack of sex hormones. As a result, the development of pathological hyperplastic processes is possible within the uterine cavity. The normal thickness of the endometrium with menopause should not be more than 0.5 cm. A critical value is 0.8 cm, at which the woman is recommended to undergo diagnostic curettage.

Inconsistency of endometrial thickness of the cycle phase

Among the main disorders of the endometrium structure are hyperplasia and hypoplasia.

With hyperplasia, there is an excessive overgrowth of the endometrium, in which the thickness of the mucosa becomes significantly higher than normal. Hyperplastic processes are often combined with such diseases as genital endometriosis, uterine myoma, chronic inflammatory processes of female genital organs.

Hypoplasia, in turn, is characterized, on the contrary, by an invariably thin layer of the endometrium during the entire menstrual cycle. As a rule, the manifestation of this disease is caused by insufficient blood supply of the endometrium, the presence of chronic endometritis or a violation in the receptors of estrogens in the endometrium.

Any violation of the thickness of the endometrium should be treated, while, first of all, eliminating the causes of this or that manifestation.