Uterine growth in the follicular phase of spontaneous ovulatory cycles and during luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-induced cycles in women with normal or polycystic ovaries.

The uterine response to follicular growth in luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH)-induced ovulatory cycles was assessed by serial ultrasound measurement of uterine cross-sectional area and endometrial thickness in 23 cycles in women with normal ovaries and 24 cycles in women with polycystic ovaries. Nine women with spontaneous ovulatory cycles also were studied. The authors correlated uterine cross-sectional area and endometrial thickness with follicle diameter (FD) and serum estradiol-17 (E2). In women with either normal or polycystic ovaries, there was an E2-related increase in uterine cross-sectional area and endometrial thickness, but both uterine area and endometrial thickness were greater in the late follicular phase of women with polycystic ovaries compared with those with normal ovaries.