Endometrial effects of a continuous percutaneous oestrogen/low dose oral progestogen regimen for climacteric complaints.

Eleven post-menopausal women were followed up during continuous replacement therapy with percutaneous 17 beta-oestradiol, 1.5 mg, opposed by oral levo-norgestrel, 30 micrograms, daily. Endometrial biopsies were taken before and after 3 months of treatment. Conventional histopathological analyses and morphometric analyses of glandular epithelial nuclei revealed only slight proliferative activity and no secretory changes. The results indicate that endometrial proliferation during post-menopausal oestrogen replacement therapy can probably be prevented by the continuous addition of a very low dose of progestogen.