Aproach to Myoma in the Postmenopausal Period

Serpil Aydoğmuş

İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetric, İzmir, Türkiye

Aydoğmuş S. Aproach to Myoma in the Postmenopausal Period. Yavuz AF, ed. Myoma Uteri. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.165-174.

ABSTRACT

Uterine leiomyoma is one of the most common gynecologic pathologies which frequently affect the perimenopausal women. Leiomyomas are hormone-dependent tumors. Estrogen and progesterone have a critical role on development of leiomyomas. Despite the common knowledge that uterine leiomyomas stabilize or regress after menopause, a considerable number of postmenopausal patients are reported to require surgery for uterine leiomyomas. Postmenopausal patients had a higher incidence of UL variants than premenopausal patients. lipoleiomyoma and cellular leiomyomas are more likely to occur in postmenopausal women. Most relevant symptoms are abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic pain or pressure. Differential diagnosis between leiomyoma and sarcoma is important in the management of uterine leiomyomas especially in postmenopausal women. There are multiple treatment options like tibolone, aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators, uterine artery embolization and selective progesterone receptor modulators, but surgery remains the favourite method. Hormone replacement treatment to postmenopausal women with myomas may cause to fibroid regrowth, patients will usually remain asymptomatic despite the increase in the size of the leiomyoma. Further investigations are needed for describing possible diagnostic tools that may help to differential diagnosis of leiomyomas from sarcomas and also for new treatment options.

Keywords: Leiomyoma; Postmenopausal; Uterine neoplasms; Uterine fibroid

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