HISTOMORPHOMETRY OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL ENDOMETRIUM AFTER ORAL AND TRANSDERMAL ESTROGEN REPLACEMENT THERAPY

We studied the morphological and morphometrical aspects of the endomet rium of postmenopausal women treated with oral conjugated estrogens an d transdermal 17 beta-estradiol for 28 days. Light microscopy revealed that the endometrial glandular epithelium and stroma were more respon sive to stimulation than the surface epithelium. Proliferative changes were more intense in the groups that received 1.25 mg/day of conjugat ed estrogens and 50 mu g/day of transdermal 17 beta-estradiol in compa rison with the group that received 0.625 mg/day of conjugated estrogen s. Morphometry indicated that the endometrial gland/stroma ratio was h igher in the groups that received 1.25 mg/day of conjugated estrogens and 50 mu g/day of transdermal 17 beta-estradiol, an effect that was s ignificantly greater than that observed in women receiving 0.625 mg/da y of conjugated estrogens.