THE EFFECT OF HIGH-DOSE MEDIUM-TERM AND LONG-TERM PROGESTOGEN EXPOSURE ON ENDOMETRIAL VESSELS

A total of 19 paraffin-embedded endometrial tissue blocks were obtaine d from high-dose progestogen-exposed patients, A labelled streptavidin -biotin-alkaline phosphatase method was used with antibodies against v on Willebrand factor (vWF) and CD34. The density of CD34 and vWF posit ive (CD34(+) and vWF(+)) vessels in progestogen-exposed endometria (10 3 +/- 9.6/mm(2) and 106 +/- 8.7/mm(2)) was significantly lower than in endometria from women with normal cycles (169 +/- 9.3/mm(2) and 136 /- 8.0/mm(2)) (P < 0.05), In women with normal menstrual cycles the co ncentration of CD34(+) vessels was significantly higher than the numbe r of vWF(+) vessels (P = 0.0001), By comparison, the concentration of CD34(+) vessels was similar to the concentration of vWF(+) vessels in progestogen-exposed endometria. The ratios of vascular density as dete rmined by vWF(+) and CD34(+) staining in the control and progestogen g roups were 0.81 and 1.05 respectively (P = 0.0001), Dilated venules we re seen in the progestogen group, This study has demonstrated firstly that CD34 antibody detected the endothelial cells in a higher proporti on of small endometrial vessels than vWF, and secondly that high-dose progestogen exposure significantly decreased the density of microvesse ls and increased the number of dilated venules in endometrium.