Effect of endometrial atrophy on fertility

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi Man - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

1. What is the endometrium?

The endometrium, also known as the lining of the uterus, is a layer of soft tissue that covers the entire inner surface of the uterus. The endometrium is closely related to female fertility and consists of two main parts, the basal layer and the superficial layer.
The basal layer, also known as the basal endothelium, is composed of stromal cells and glandular cells. This is the layer that is not affected by the menstrual cycle.
The superficial layer is also called the endometrial layer, unlike the basal layer, the superficial layer is often subject to changes caused by the menstrual cycle.
The thickness of the endometrium usually changes with the menstrual cycle as follows:
After the end of the menstrual period: The endometrium is very thin, about 4-6mm just enough to cover the inner surface of the uterus. uterus After the end of menstruation about 14 days: Due to the effects of sex hormones, the endometrium gradually thickens from 8-12mm Before menstruation occurs, the endometrium layer thickens from 12- 16mm, however, if conception does not take place, the endometrium will shed from the uterus causing bleeding and follow that blood out of the body or this can be simply understood as a menstrual phenomenon in women.

2. Does endometrial atrophy affect fertility?

The uterine lining is closely related to the ability to conceive in women, affecting the implantation process and providing nutrition to the fetus later. Endometrial growth depends on estrogen levels in a woman's body, if estrogen levels drop, it will most likely lead to endometrial atrophy.
Endometrial atrophy (in menopause) is described as thin, pale, dry and sometimes inflamed uterine lining. If the uterine lining is thin, it will cause menstrual disorders, menopause, and the inability to conceive. Not only that, it also entails other effects such as sexual dysfunction, bleeding during sex or even urinary tract infections.
In addition, cases of thin uterine lining lead to a situation where the egg after fertilization is difficult to attach to the uterine wall to implant, affecting fertility in women. Even after successful fertilization, the egg attaches to the uterine wall, but because the uterine lining is thin, it is easy to be shed, causing pregnant women to have problems such as miscarriage, stillbirth. ..

3. Causes of endometrial atrophy in women before menopause

Usually endometrial atrophy occurs only in women reaching menopause, but a few reasons can also form this phenomenon in women who have not yet reached menopause:
Estrogen levels in the body low, this directly affects the development of the endometrium Influence from a sedentary lifestyle Due to repeated abortions, the uterine lining becomes thinner Due to anemia Due to diseases in the uterus such as tumours, infections or polyps of the uterus. Women who give birth without vaginal delivery have a higher risk of endometrial atrophy than women who give birth vaginally.

4. How is endometrial atrophy treated?

Endometrial atrophy has a certain effect on fertility as well as sexual intercourse of women. To improve this situation, you can implement some methods as follows:
Have a healthy lifestyle, should be more active and should not stay up too late. Improve your health by gentle exercise combined with relaxing yourself after work.

Strengthen foods rich in iron and zinc such as liver, red meats, pumpkin, nuts... supplement vitamin C, vitamin E through the diet. In addition, you can supplement estrogen levels by eating lots of salmon, broccoli, yogurt, flaxseeds, berries...
Especially not or limiting the effects on the uterine lining. such as abortion, use of birth control pills, aphrodisiacs...
Do not smoke because studies show that women who smoke have less estrogen in their body than normal people.
If endometrial atrophy still does not progress after performing the above methods, you should go to the hospital for examination and a specialist will help you treat with non-hormonal methods. hormone therapy or hormone therapy depending on the individual's condition.
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