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Thickening of the uterine lining can be caused by many things. The most common is clearly related to the female menstrual cycle which represents normal hormonal cycles seen in pre-menopausal women. In fact, a woman's "period" represents the normal shedding of the endometrial lining as a result of hormonal withdrawal during the "down phase" of a normal menstrual cycle. Endometrial hyperplasia (hyper-play-siah) can also be seen during the normal phases of the menstrual cycle.
In women who are post-menopausal who do not have the same level of cycling hormones, the endometrial lining is usually fairly thin. A thickened lining can be caused by taking extra hormones (exogenous hormones) eg. estrogen-containing medications. Benign endometrial polyps can also have the appearance of a thickened lining and usually require additional evaluation.
In some patients taking Tamoxifen, eg. after having been treated for a breast cancer, a non-malignant, or, in rare instances, a malignant change in the endometrial lining may occur.
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Does thickening of the uterine lining always mean cancer? If not, what other conditions can cause this?