Doppler Study of Uterine Artery and Ultrasonography of Endometrial Thickness in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Bleeding

Background: Transvaginal color Doppler sonography of the uterine artery has been reported useful for evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding in peri-/post-menopausal women. It may differentiate physiological from malignant endometrial changes. Objective: Evaluating the endometrial thickness and uterine artery Doppler as an initial diagnostic tool to identify patients with abnormal endometrial pathology. Methods: This is a prospective case control study consisted of total 50 women with peri-(n = 35) and post-(n = 15) menopausal bleeding, with 20 women consisting control group (no bleeding) (peri-(n = 10) and post-menopausal (n = 10)). Double layer endometrial thickness and uterine-artery-Doppler waveforms were measured, with the latter being S/D ratio, RI and PI. These were related to histological findings (endometrial biopsy). Result: Patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (both peri- and postmenopausal) had a significantly higher mean endometrial thickness than the control women. Study group showed a significantly lower value of all Doppler indices (S/D ratio, RI and PI). In study group, patients with malignant endometrial pathology showed significantly thicker endometrium and significantly lower Doppler indices than those with benign pathology. Conclusion: The combination of endometrial thickness and uterine artery color Doppler pattern might predict uterine endometrial malignancy, although whether it can discriminate (screen) patients requiring endometrial biopsy is not evident. Further study is needed.

Effect of endometrial thickness on the risk of ectopic pregnancy for frozen embryo transfer

Objective:Few studies have explored the suitability of endometrial thickness(EMT)as a predictor of ectopic pregnancy(EP)in frozen embryo transfer(FET)cycles.Our study aimed to investigate the association between EMT and EP and explore the cutoff value of EMT to predict EP.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included women aged 20-45 years undergoing FET between March 2015 and September 2021.The primary outcomes and measured variables were EP and EMT,respectively.The threshold effect of EMT on EP was calculated based on a constructed smooth curve fitting.The patients were divided into two groups based on the threshold for comparison.A subgroup analysis was conducted to examine whether the relationship between EMT and EP remained consistent across the different subgroups.Additionally,a generalized linear model was used to analyze the interactions between the treatment factors and EMT in EP.Results:In total,27,549 FET cycles were included,with 27,086 intrauterine and 463 ectopic pregnancies.The risk of EP in the EMT≤8.7 mm group was 3.36 times higher than that in the EMT>8.7 mm group(odds ratio[OR]:3.36,95%confidence interval[CI]:2.57-4.05).Subgroup analysis further indicated that a thin EMT was a risk factor for EP,independent of other risks.We also noted that diminished ovarian reserve,tubal factor infertility,transfer of two embryos,or transfer of cleavage-stage embryos may further enhance the risk of EP in patients with thin endometrium.Conclusions:Thin endometrium was associated with an increased risk of EP.Patients with EMT less than 8.7 mm need close medical observation and management after embryo transfer.In addition,diminished ovarian reserve,tubal factor infertility,transfer of two embryos,or transfer of cleavage-stage embryos may significantly enhance the effect of a thin endometrium on the risk of EP.

Diagnostic value of endometrial thickness determined by transvaginal sonography in infertile women with endometrial polyps

Background Endometrial polyps （EPs） occur in approximately 34.9% of infertile women. Transvaginal sonography （TVS） is a routine, non-invasive component of fertility evaluation. Most ultrasonographic studies of EPs have focused on abnormal uterine bleeding; few have assessed EPs in infertile women. Furthermore, no studies have explored endometrial thickness and its correlation with EPs in infertile women. This study aimed to assess transvaginal sonographic assessment of endometrial thickness and its value in diagnosis and prediction of EPs in infertile women. Methods A retrospective study on 314 infertile women was conducted from June to December 2010. After TVS, endometrial biopsies were obtained by hysteroscopy. Pathologically confirmed EPs were taken as the gold standard. Results Based on recognized criteria, TVS had a sensitivity of 37.04%, specificity of 98.71%, positive predictive value of 90.91%, negative predictive value of 81.85%, and accuracy of 82.80% for diagnosing EPs. Mean endometrial thickness was significantly different in patients with and without EPs （P=0.0001）. In women in the mid and late-proliferative phase, the endometrial thickness was significantly greater in those with EPs than in those without them （P=0.0001 and 0.024）. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that endometrial thickness had a sensitivity of 85.2% and specificity of 38% in the diagnosis of EPs, the area under the curve being 0.64. In the mid-proliferative phase, sensitivity was up to 90.9%, the area under the curve being 0.70. Conclusions TVS is poor at detecting EPs in infertile women; however, transvaginal sonographic measurement of endometrial thickness is helpful. It is suggested that the diagnostic value of TVS for EPs in infertile women could be improved by adding the measurement of endometrial thickness to the variables that are routinely assessed.

Value of Intrauterine Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy on Endometrial Receptivity:A Literature Review

Endometrial receptivity is an important factor that influences embryo implantation.Thus,it is important to identify an applicable approach to improve endometrial receptivity in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.Recently,growing evidence has indicated that intrauterine platelet-rich plasma(PRP)infusion is an effective method to obtain a satisfactory reproductive outcome by increasing endometrial thickness and improving endometrial receptivity.Therefore,the present review aims to outline the possible mechanisms of PRP on endometrial receptivity and summarize the present literature on the effects of PRP therapy in improving endometrial receptivity.

Factors Associated with Effectiveness of Treatment and Reproductive Outcomes in Patients with Thin Endometrium Undergoing Estrogen Treatment

Background： Thin endometrium is associated with poor reproductive outcomes; estrogen treatment can increase endomctrial thickness （EMT）. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the factors influencing the effectiveness of estrogen treatment and reproductive outcomes after the treatment in patients with thin endometrium. Methods： Relevant clinical data of 101 patients with thin endometrium who had undergone estrogen treatment were collected. Possible factors influencing the effectiveness of treatment were analyzed retrospectively by logistic regression analysis. Eighty-seven infertile women without thin endometrium who had undergone assisted reproduction served as controls. The cases and controls were matched for age, assisted reproduction method, and number of embryos transferred. Reproductive outcomes of study and control groups were compared using Student＇s t-test and the Chi-square test. Results： At the end of estrogen treatment, EMT was ≥8 mm in 93/101 patients （92.1%）. Effectiveness of treatment was significantly associated with maximal pretreatment EMT （P = 0.017） and treatment duration （P = 0.004）. The outcomes of assisted reproduction were similar in patients whose treatment was successful in increasing EMT to ≥8 mm and the control group. The rate of clinical pregnancy in patients was associated with the number of good-quality embryos transferred in both fresh （P = 0.005） and frozen-thawed （P = 0.000） embryo transfer cycles. Conclusions： Thinner EMT before estrogen treatment requires longer treatment duration and predicts poorer treatment outcomes. The effectiveness of treatment depends on the duration of estrogen administration. Assisted reproductive outcomes of patients whose treatment is successful （i.e., achieves an EMT ≥8 mm） are similar to those of controls. The quality of embryos transferred is an important predictor of assisted reproductive outcomes in patients treated successfully with exogenous estrogen.