What are endometrial polyps?
Endometrial(uterine) polyps are small growths inside the uterine cavity. Some women may have only one polyp while other women have multiple polyps. They vary a lot in size and usually they are benign although some can be cancerous or develop into cancer (precancerous).
What causes the endometrial polyps?
We don”t know exactly why some women have polyps but it may be related to changes in hormone levels. They are more common in women between 40 and 50 years old probably due to the changes in estrogen levels.
Other factors that influence the presence of endometrial polyps are obesity, high blood pressure and taking tamoxifen for breast cancer.
What are the symptoms?
Most of the women are asymptomatic but the most common symptom is bleeding.
The women with endometrial polyps may experience the following :
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Irregular periods
- Bleeding between periods
- Spotting or bleeding in postmenopausal women
- infertility
How do you diagnose endometrial polyp?
The best and easiest way to diagnose endometrial polyps is with a transvaginal ultrasound. Most of the women find out that they have polyps during a routine check up.
If there is a doubt then an hysteroscopy should be performed. Hysteroscopy is a procedure where we insert a camera inside the uterine cavity and check if there is any pathology.
Can endometrial polyps affect fertility?
Endometrial polyps can affect fertility depending on their size, the number and their location inside the uterine cavity. They might interfere with the implantation of the embryos.
How we treat endometrial polyps?
The best therapeutic option is hysteroscopic removal. With hysteroscopic treatment we are sure that we removed the polyp completely and is the right option for women who are trying for a baby. Curretage is another option but there is a chance of leaving part of the polyp inside the uterus.
Below you can watch one video from one of our patients wit multiple polyps where an hysteroscopic removal was performed.
