Help / advice please re think endometrial / womb lining - anxious

[dahliaaa]

Can anyone help with advice about this - and keep me away from google. (My fear is endometrial/womb cancer.)

Had a scan today where everything like ovaries 'structurally ok.' Couple of small fibroids. But womb lining 'thick'. 15mm.

Background is that I didnt have a period for 84 days. Then bled for 7 weeks (including flooding and clots for a few days and a few lighter days). Bleeding stopped when took Norethisterone from GP for 7 days.

Stopped the Norethisterone 3 days ago and haven't bled for just over a week. GP said I will probably start to bleed again 3-5 days after starting the Norethisterone.

I'm 47.

(DH has a serious life limiting cancer hence my general anxiety about me keeping well.)

Thank you !

Title should say 'thick' not 'think'

Bump

Was the scan before you had the bleed, when you hadn't had a bleed for 84 days?

If that's so, then you sound typically peri and normal!

The lining during a fertile cycle can easily reach 15mm or even 18mm (from my reading on this) and if you have not bled for almost 3 months it WILL be thick as your cycle was incomplete- the estrogen was making the lining grow but with no ovulation happening you were not producing progesterone to make the lining shed.

It sounds as if the 7 week bleed you had got rid of all the lining. You may have another bleed now, but you may not- not if it's all shed anyway.

I really don't think you should worry- this is normal for peri.

I'm sorry about your DH.

I had a scan for suspected fibroids (turned out to be a uterine polyp) but the person doing the scan commented that the lining was thick considering the stage of my cycle (I had only just finished my ridiculously heavy period).
I have a follow up gynae appointment next week but my GP was at pains to tell me they didn't consider it an 'urgent' referral.
I don't know if that reassures you at all but just thought I'd share.

If your scan was after your 7 week bleed then 15mm is quite thick. But how long is it since the bleeding stopped?

What did they suggest as a result of the scan? If the lining is considered thick, the next step is to take a biopsy (don't worry it's a bit like a smear- nothing too bad.) That way they can see if you have hyperplasia. There are 4 types of hyperplasia, so you don't necessarily have hyperplasia that is cancerous. Hyperplasia means it's thick. It can be regular and thick, or there can be cells that show changes.

If your consultant who did the scan is at all worried they would ask for a biopsy.

The treatment for hyperplasia is Norethisterone but for 'serious' hyperplasia it's usually treatment with it for 3-6 months, not 7 days.

Thank you for sharing that shoe it does help to hear other experiences. Can you remember the thickness ? I hope your appointment goes well.

PollyPerky my scan was today (sorry my post was a bit garbled.)

Hope this bit clearer :

No period for 84 days

22nd Jan started period - light for couple of days then v v heavy inc clots and flooding. Heaviness then fluctuated but continued bleeding until started prescription from GP ...

10th March started Norethisterone - bleeding stopped two days later

17th March finished Norethisterone

Today : Scan

I have lots of peri symptoms (memory / dry skin/ night sweats etc etc but blood tests showed fsh and lh completely normal and not peri.)

I don't think she told me the measurement - I just remember her commenting on the thickness.

Thanks Shoe

Sorry Polly my reply crossed with your second post.

The scan was about 8 days about the bleeding stopped - so I'm guessing from what you're saying then 'yes it's thick for that point in cycle.'

It's wasn't a consultant doing the scan. It was a radiographer (if that's what person doing the scan is called ) but it said on the letter I received that I would get a verbal report which she did very diligently - and then written report will go to GP.

The timing of your scan was unfortunate because ideally it should be done after the Norethisterone has done its job- ie initiated a bleed, 2-3 days after stopping it.

Ideally you ought to be scanned after your bleed when the lining is thin.

The Norethisterone would start to work on Day 1 you took it (it halts the growth of the lining) but it also stops you bleeding until about 3 days after you stop it.

It sounds as if the long period you had for weeks didn't clear all the lining before your scan. Unfortunately, taking Northisterone would stop the bleed when you need it to shed. Which it ought to soon.

My understanding is that you should have a longer course of Norethisterone ( the usual amount in HRT for example is 12-14 days per 28 cycle) then you'd have another bleed, then you should have another scan. 7 days is not really enough but I suppose your GP was just trying to help stop the bleeding.

Thanks for the extra info. Yes the GP was just trying to stop the bleeding.

To be honest I only went to the GP because I'd gone to buy some tranexamic acid from chemist after reading about it on here but he wouldn't give me any and said I needed to see GP.

I'm a bit on high alert because of lovely DH and just trying to work out if I need to be concerned or not (I think we're just about at the limit of what we can cope with).

Endometrial cancer is very rare in women who are still having periods. Try not to worry. It sounds like peri and I'm sure you will be fine.