Postmenopausal bleeding and the endometrium.

The postmenopausal endometrium possesses the potential for development of endometrial adenocarcinoma, the most common female genital tract malignancy. An understanding of this tissue and its response to hormone stimulation is essential for the establishment of rational plans for clinical management. Recently, new techniques for in-office endometrial sampling have been described and advocated. These methods have proven to be fairly accurate diagnostic methods and have potential value for screening, especially among high-risk patients. Patients with postmenopausal bleeding are at such great risk for carcinoma that definitive, more traditional methods, particularly D & C, must usually be employed before the malignancy can be adequately ruled out.