SONOGRAPHIC SIZE OF UTERUS AND OVARIES IN PREMENOPAUSAL AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Uterine and ovarian size were measured in 765 pre- and postmenopausal women by transvaginal ultrasound. Of these, 263 (premenopausal, n = 15 5; postmenopausal, n = 108) were found to have neither uterine nor ova rian pathological findings. According to parity, premenopausal women w ere separated into three groups: nullipara, primipara and multipara. P ostmenopausal women were separated into two groups according to years since menopause: less than or equal to 5 years and > 5 years since men opause. In the premenopausal group, a parity-related enlargement in ut erine size was observed between nulliparous and parous women. After th e menopause, a significant reduction in uterine size and in the corpus -cervix ratio was observed. The reduction in uterine size was related to years since menopause. The endometrial thickness measured in the gr oup of premenopausal women did not exceed 4 mm on day 4 and 8 mm on da y 8 of the menstrual cycle; in the postmenopausal group, endometrial t hickness did not exceed 5 mm (mean 3.6 mm). In the group of premenopau sal women, no parity-related change in ovarian volume was observed. Af ter menopause, there was an obvious reduction in ovarian volume. Betwe en the two postmenopausal groups, there was a small but significant di fference in ovarian volume.