Histopathological findings in women with postmenopausal bleeding

Abstract

Background: Post-menopausal bleeding is a challenging gynecological problem caused by various endometrial pathologies. The histopathological examination separate different benign conditions with endometrial malignancy.

Objective: To investigate the pattern of histopathological diagnoses encountered in women presenting with post-menopausal bleeding

Materials& Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the department of histopathology, Quaid-i-Azam international hospital Islamabad from January 2012 to May 2013. A total of 46 cases of patient presenting with post-menopausal bleeding were included. Different type of endometrial samples including dilatation and curettage, pipelle biopsy and hysterectomy were included in the investigation.

Results: Histopathological findings in women with postmenopausal bleeding were endometrial hyperplasia with & without atypia (33.6%), adenomyosis (19.5%), leiomyoma (10.87%), atrophy and polyp (8.6%), secretory phase endometrium (4.3%), carcinoma (4.2%), and proliferative phase endometrium (2.1%). Most frequent finding was endometrial hyperplasia. 

Conclusion: Post-menopausal bleeding is a common presentation, so its cause should be diagnosed to rule out precancerous and cancerous lesion in endometrium. The incidence of postmenopausal bleeding decreased with increasing age while the chances of malignancy are more in older age.

Keywords: postmenopausal bleeding, histopathology