[Endometrial growth in continuous, estrogen substitution monotherapy with Estraderm TTS (0.05 mg/die) in 31 postmenopausal females].

To prevent hyperplasia and carcinoma of the endometrium during Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT), addition of progestogens once a month is considered mandatory. There is, however, no good scientific basis for this assumption. Since the addition of progestogens has several disadvantages, it is important to minimise the frequency of progestogen addition. Vaginosonography is a rather new technique, which has not yet been used for monitoring ERT. This study uses the growth of the endometrium, as it was measured by vaginosonography, as a parameter for stimulation of the endometrium by estrogens. ERT with Estraderm 50 twice a week was started in postmenopausal women. The endometrial thickness at the beginning was less than 3 millimeters. During estrogen treatment the endometrial thickness was determined every 6 to 10 weeks. As long as there was little or no increase during the estrogen treatment, no progestogen was added. Where there was a considerable growth, progestogen was added. With the use of vaginosonography, it is possible, to distinguish "fast growers" (women whose endometrium responded fast) from "slow growers".