Uterus and Endometrium Flashcards
What is the myometrium and endometrium?
- Myometrium = tightly woven bundles of smooth muscle cells that form the wall of the uterus
- Endometrium = glands embedded in stroma that line the internal cavity of the uterus.
What are the myometrium and endometrium hormonally responsive to?
- Myometrium = Oxytocin during parturition (childbirth)
- Endometrium = Sex-steroid hormones
A drop in _____ causes the functionalis layer to degenerate or shed due to a breakdown/bleeding into stroma.
Progesterone, when the CL involutes at day 15 if ovulation does not occur.
Proliferative phase is driven by ________ =>
Estrogen => proliferation of glands and stroma from the basalis to form a new functionalis
Features of the Proliferative phase
-Glands, stroma, mitotic figures, mucus secetion/vaculoizeation-
- Glands = straight, tubular structures with regular, tall pseudostratified columnar cells
- Stroma = actively prolifearting spindle cells with SCANT cytoplasm
- Numerous mitotic figures
- No mucus secretion/vacuoliztion
Proliferative phase ends at ______
ovulation
What hormone begins the secretory phase?
Progesterone downregulates of estrogen receptors in the glands and stroma => supresses proliferation
How does the location and histology of the secretory vacuoles change over the course of the secretory phase (post-ovulation) during the menstrual cycle?
- Marked by the appearance of secretory vacuoles
- Day 16-17: Early secretory phase with secretory Subnuclear vacuoles –> supranuclear vacuoles (3rd week of cycle)
- Day 18-24: Glands dilate when secretion is maximal –> tortuous and serrated or “saw-toothed” by week 4
What stromal changes are seen in the late secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, which is IMP FOR DATING THE ENDOMETRIUM.
- Day 21-22: Prominent spiral arterioles appear + ↑ ground substance and edema btw stromal cells
- Day 23-4: Stromal hypertrophy –> ↑ cytoplasmic eosinophilia (predecidual change) + increase stromal mitoses
- Day 24-28- Predecidual changes spread throughout functionalis + sparse infiltrate of neutrophils and lymphocytes
- Which hormone is responsible for driving the proliferation of glands and stroma during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle?
- Between which days of the menstrual cycle will you see dilation of gland which appear tortuous and serrated or “saw-toothed?”
- Estrogen
- Day 18-24
“Dating” the endometrium by its histologic appearance may be used to assess hormonal status, document ovulation, and determine causes of endometrial bleeding and infertility
what may contribute to the development of ectopic endometrial tissue and endometrial cancer?
endometrial stem cells
What is the most common cause of AUB (abnormal uterine bleeding)?
DUB due to anovulation (failure to ovulate) due to subtle hormone imbalances => no progesterone => unopposed estrogen stimulates the endometrium.
Anovulation leading to dysfunctional uterine bleeding is most common during what 2 periods of a woman’s life?
Menarche and peri-menopausal period
Endocrine causes of hormonal imbanlance that can lead to anovulation?
- Thryoid,
- Adrenal
- Pituitary
Ovarian causes of hormonal imbanlance that can lead to anovulation?
- PCOS (Stein-Leventhal syndrome)
- Granuloma cell tumors
Metabolic causes of hormonal imbanlance that can lead to anovulation?
- Obesity
- Malnutrition
- Chronic systemic disease
What is the most common cause of abnormal uterine bleeding in the pre-puberty age group?
Precocious puberrt (hypothalamic, pituitary, or ovarin origin)
When their is failure of ovulation what hormonal imbalance occurs?
Excessive endometrial stimulation by estrogen that is unopposed by progesterone
What is the most common appearance of the endometrium during anovulation?
- Lacks progesterone-dependent features (glandular secretory changes and stroma pre-deciduation)
- Contains pseudostratified glands and scattered mitotic figures
What is inadequate luteal phase?
When do we see when we biopsy?
- Infertility + increased bleeding or amenorrhea due to inadequare progesterone during post-ovulatory period.
- Biopsy: slow, developing “secretory endometrium”, lagging behind for expected dates.
Why are the endometrium and myometrium relatively resistant to infection?
Endocervix forms a barrier to ascending infection
Acute endometritis is uncommon and caused by what?
- Bacterial infections that arise after delivery or miscarriage due to retained products of conception.
- Bacteria: Group A hemolytic strep (GAHS), staphylococci, and others
In acute endometritis, there is _________ of the stroma.
Nonspecific inflammation
Treatment of acute endometritis.
Curettage of fragments + AB (B-lactams for staph and strep)
What finding does the diagnosis of chronic endometritis depend on?
Plasma cells in the stroma of the endometrium
What is the MCC of chronic endometritis?
Ascending infection (especially chlamydia)
Chronic Endometritis is associated with:
- PID (mostly chylamidia)
- Retained gestational tissue
- IUD
- TB = rare in western countries
- Chylamydia
Chronic endometritis presentaion
- ABNL bleeding
- Pain
- Discharge
- Infertility
Pelvic TB MC infects what?
- BOTH fallopian tubes + endometrium (50%) of the time
- RARELY infects: [cervix, vagina, uterus]
- If ovaries, only surface.
Morphology of Pelvic TB (2)
- Detected on what stain?
- Multinucleated giant cells
- Histiocytes
Seen on [Kinyoun or Ziel-Neelsen fast-acid stain]
What is endometriosis?
When is it most common?
- Ectopic endometrial tissues seen outside of the uterus (stroma and maybe glands).
- 30-40YO (active reproducing childbearing years)
Symptoms of endometriosis
- Infertility (30-40%)
- Severe dysmenorrhea (cramps)
- Colicky pelvic pain
List the 8 most common sites of endometriosis in descending order of frequency.
- Ovaries
2. Uterine lig.
3. Rectovaginal septum
4. Cul de sac
5. Pelvic peritoneum
- Large and small bowel and appendix
- Mucosa of cervix, vagain, and fallopian tubes
- Laparotomy scars
How does ectopic tissue form in endometriosis?
- Regurgitation theory: retrograde flow of menstrual endometrium through the fallopian tubes => implants at ectopic sites (occurs in 90% of W)
What is the benign metastases theory in relation to the pathogenesis of endometriosis?
Endometrial tissue spreads via blood and lymph to distant sites
What is the metaplastic theory in relation to the pathogenesis of endometriosis?
Endometrium arises from coelomic mesothelium or mesonephric remnant that undergo endometrial differentiation giving rise to ectopic tissue
What is the extrauterine stem/progenitor cell theory in relation to the pathogenesis of endometriosis?
Bone marrow derived stem/progenitor cells differentiate into endometrial tissue
How is ectopic endometrial tissue (which still undergoes menstruation) different from regular endometrial tissue?
- Ectopic endometrial stroma has high levels of the aromatase (not present in normal endometrium) => make its own estrogen => survival and persist.
- Secretes pro-inflammatory factors.
Epigenetic alterations seen in endometriosis lead to what kind of response to estrogen and progesterone?
- ↑ responsivness to estrogen
- ↓ responsivness to progesterone
Women with endometriosis have a 3x greater risk for development of what 2 cancers?
Ovarian and clear cell types
Endometriotic lesions bleed periodically in response to extrinsic (ovarian) and intrinsic hormones, producing what?
Red-blue => yellow-brown nodules on or just beneath the mucosal and/or serosal surfaces at site involved
When the lesions of endometriosis are extensive, organizing hemorrhage causes what?
Fibrous adhesions btw structures (tubes, ovaries and other structures) and obliterates the pouch of Douglas
What can form when ectopic endometrial tissue forms on ovaries?
Chocolate cysts/ endometrioma= large cysts filled with brown fluid as a result of previous hemorrhage
What is the significance of atypical endometriosis?
Precursor to cancer (endometrosis-related ovarian and cell cell carcinoma)
Based on histology what must be present for the diagnosis of endometriosis to be readily made?
When both endometrial GLANDS and STROMA are present, with or without hemosiderin.
Why might a patient with endometriosis present with pain during defecation or dysuria?
Involvement of the
- Rectal wall = pain on defecation
- Bladder serosa = dysuria
Treatment of endometriosis?
Aromatase inhibitors or surgery
What is adenomyosis?
Endometrial tissue WITHIN the uterine wall (myometrium) that can co-exist with endometriosis.
What is seen on microscopic examination of adenomyosis?
Irregular nests of endometrial stroma, w/ or w/o glands, arranged within myometrium, separated from basalis by at least 2-3mm
What is the appearance of endometrial polyps?
MC when?
- Exophytic masses (single or multiple) and usually sessile in the endometrial cavity.
- Occasionally large and pedunculated
- Reproductive age, peri and postmenopausal F.