What You Need to Know About Precancerous Changes in Your Uterus: Endometrial Hyperplasia
If you don’t have cancer, you may feel relief. However, your doctor may have noticed changes in your uterus that are not normal. The most common change is called endometrial hyperplasia. This means that the lining of your uterus, called the endometrium, is growing more than it should. Over time, this growth can become cancerous. If you have hyperplasia, your doctor may suggest treatment. These are the most common ways of keeping track of its progress and treating it.
- Regular exams. Your doctor can monitor your health by doing pelvic exams regularly.
- Transvaginal ultrasound. High-frequency sound waves bounce off internal body parts to create an image of your pelvic area. Your doctor can use this test to see how thick your endometrium is.
- Hormone therapy. Your doctor may prescribe a progestin. This medication mimics the female hormone progesterone and can help reduce the thickness of the endometrial lining.
- D&C. During this procedure, your doctor scrapes away the endometrium. This can be used to treat irregular or heavy bleeding.
- Hysterectomy. This is surgery to take out your uterus.
If you have endometrial hyperplasia, talk with your doctor about the best way to stay healthy. Take other steps to reduce your risk for endometrial cancer. These steps include keeping your weight in a healthy range and managing conditions such as diabetes that increase your risk.
