title: The clinical significance of endometrial fluid collection in asymptomatic postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the clinical significance of endometrial fluid collection (EFC) in asymptomatic postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 564 postmenopausal females were enrolled into this retrospective study, of whom 141, with EFC, comprised the study group; the remaining 423 postmenopausal women (the three consecutive patients) who had been admitted to the menopause outpatient clinic for their routine annual check formed the control group. Data, including age, gravidity, parity, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, menopause duration, endometrial thickness and histopathological endometrium results, were compared between groups using the SPSS for Windows software package (version 15.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant group differences in gravidity, parity, body mass index, rates of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, endometrial thickness or histopathological endometrium results. However, there were group differences in age (62.0 ± 7.6 vs. 57.2 ± 8.9 years, p < 0.001) and menopause duration (13.4 ± 7.8 vs. 7.9 ± 5.4 years, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that EFC in asymptomatic postmenopausal women is a benign condition, influenced by older age and commensurately longer menopause duration due to a lack of hormonal stimulation. The presence of EFC by itself does not affect the decision to provide further evaluation; that is determined by the presence of confirmed risk factors (e.g. thickened endometrial stripe). However, further studies are needed to assess any long-term prognostic impact of this finding.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital , Ankara.
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Topçu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital , Ankara.
authors.forename: Ü
authors.initials: Ü
authors.lastname: Taşdemir
authors.affiliation: b * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Balıkesir University , Ankara.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: İslimye
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pathology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bayramoğlu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital , Ankara.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001826:Body Fluids; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY; ENDOMETRIAL CANCER; ENDOMETRIAL FLUID; MENOPAUSE