Thin Endometrium: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatments 

Quick Highlights 

• The thin endometrium is the tissue that lines your uterus’s inner layer. The inner layer is essential for reproduction as the embryo implants itself in this layer.
• During a menstrual cycle, your endometrial lining is constantly changing. So, for a pregnancy to be successful, the embryo must be implanted in your endometrial lining carefully and in the best possible condition.
• Once the embryo implantation has taken place, pregnancy advances, and the thick uterine lining’s functional glands provide the foetus with the nutrition it needs to grow.
• However, when your endometrium lining is less than 7 mm thick, it indicates a thin endometrium. It can cause problems with successful embryo implantation and further nourishment of the foetus. In other words, it can make carrying out a pregnancy difficult for you.
• In this blog, we will learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of thin endometrium in detail to give you a better understanding of the problem.

What is Thin Endometrium?

The tissue layer in the inner lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. The thickness of the endometrial layer keeps on changing during the menstrual cycle. The uterus is lined with 3 layers:

• The outer layer is called the serosa
• The middle layer is called the myometrium
• The third and innermost layer is called the endometrium.

When the endometrium layer gets abnormally thin, it can impact embryo implantation, causing difficulty in conception. The thickness of the endometrium layer in the uterus is essential for successful embryo implantation and to achieve a healthy pregnancy. This layer also protects the baby and nourishes it for further development.

The endometrial lining keeps changing throughout the menstrual cycle. For a successful pregnancy, the embryo should be implanted well in the endometrial lining, which is also in optimal condition. Oestrogen and progesterone are two sets of hormones that help prepare the thickness of the endometrial lining for pregnancy. If the endometrial lining is thinner than the standard and required thickness, it would be difficult for the woman to reach conception or hold the pregnancy for a full term. In addition, experts suggest that a thin endometrium often leads to complications like miscarriage.

Measurements of the Endometrium Layer:

According to the experts, the endometrium layer is classified into different phases based on their measurements. Refer to the below table for reference and a better understanding of the thickness of the layer:

Symptoms of Thin Endometrium:

With thin endometrium, usually, you will not experience any symptoms, i.e., you may remain asymptomatic for a long time.

However, in case you experience symptoms, they can manifest in the following ways:

• Extremely painful menses
• Problems related to infertility
• Reduced bleeding when on periods
• Irregular or delayed menstrual cycle

Causes of Thin Endometrium:

There are numerous causes that can result in a thin endometrium, such as:

Reduced Estrogen Levels

• Estrogen hormone is essential for the endometrium to thicken. So, when you have low estrogen levels, it will result in a thin endometrium lining. In this situation, medication is prescribed.
• In case there is no improvement after taking medicines, this could mean that your uterine wall’s tissues have suffered damage or that there is insufficient blood flow.

Insufficient Blood Flow

There are numerous causes of insufficient uterine blood flow.

• Leading a sedentary lifestyle can decrease blood flow, which causes your uterine lining to shrink.
• If your uterus is slightly tilted, it will receive less blood flow. Moreover, having fibroids and polyps narrows blood arteries, which decreases blood supply to your endometrial lining and causes thin endometrium.

Bacterial Infections

• Bacterial infections such as sexually transmitted diseases, endometrial tuberculosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, etc., can lead to inflammation and scarring of your endometrial lining.

Oral Contraceptive Pills

• Excessive intake of oral contraceptive pills for quite some time can cause alterations in your estrogen level and uterine lining.
• These alterations can cause you to have a thin endometrium lining.

Clomid

• This medication is used to trigger ovulation. Overuse of Clomid can stop the flow of estrogen and prevent your endometrial lining from thickening.

Dilation and Curettage (D & C)

• D & C is a surgical method used to remove tissue from your uterus because of some uterine problems.
• The functional base layer of the endometrium, known as the basalis, may get destroyed during D & C. This impedes the new endometrial lining from developing, causing your endometrium to remain thin.
• Also, D & C can result in intrauterine adhesions (collection of fibrous tissues) in your uterine lining and prevent it from thickening.

Diagnosis of Thin Endometrium:

The expert will perform a physical examination to check the tenderness, swelling, or any painful areas by putting a slight pressure on the abdomen region. For further diagnosis and to detect the root cause, the doctor may advise a few tests such as:

• Sonohysterography
• Transvaginal ultrasound
• Hysteroscopy

Treatment Options for Thin Endometrium:

To be able to conceive successfully, your endometrium lining needs to be thick. So, here are some treatment methods to thicken your thin endometrium.

1. Exercising regularly: Regularly exercising will increase the blood flow to your uterus and improve the condition of your endometrium lining.
2. Fertility massage: Massaging the muscles near your uterus can help enhance blood circulation to your uterus and improve your endometrial lining.
3. Castor oil packs: It is a type of treatment that plays a crucial role in detoxifying and guaranteeing a smooth blood supply to your uterus while providing an ideal amount of estrogen. It also causes your thin endometrium lining to thicken.
4. Natural herbs and supplements: Asparagus racemosus, red clover, dong quai, royal jelly, etc., are some natural herbs and supplements containing phytoestrogen. Using them will help uplift your estrogen level and result in the thickening of your thin endometrium lining.
5. Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a technique used to reduce stress and the buildup of negative energy in the body. Reducing stress levels is essential since chronic stress can cause your endometrium lining to shrink.
6. Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF): A study reports that intrauterine infusion of growth factors like G-CSF helps to increase the thickness of the lining of your thin endometrium.
7. Estrogen therapy: A drop in estrogen levels can cause a thin endometrium lining. So, estrogen therapy becomes essential to thicken your endometrium lining. Estrogen can be administered orally or as a suppository gel in this therapy. It stimulates cell division in your uterine lining, making it thicker and facilitating easy implantation of the fertilised egg.
8. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG): A study reveals that HCG triggers the pituitary gland to secrete gonadotropin hormone. This hormone causes your reproductive organs to secrete estrogen hormone. And estrogen hormone, in turn, leads to the thickening of your thin endometrium.
9. Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET): For thin endometrium treatment, the ideal course of action in an IVF cycle is to freeze all your embryos and transfer them after your endometrium lining has thickened.
10. Hysteroscopy: When intrauterine adhesions are the causal factor for thin endometrium, hysteroscopy is the appropriate treatment. During hysteroscopy, the adhesions or scar tissues are removed. And this causes your thin endometrium lining to thicken with time.

Conclusion

Thin endometrium can make it challenging for you to conceive by causing issues in embryo implantation in your endometrial lining. So, in this scenario, to be able to get pregnant, it is crucial to consult a doctor for thin endometrium treatment.

You can contact the leading fertility specialists at Birla Fertility and IVF. The team is dedicated to delivering compassionate care and top-notch healthcare services. Equipped with up-to-date testing tools and technologies, it aims to match the global standards in patient care.

FAQs:

What Does a Thin Endometrium Mean?

A thin endometrium refers to the tissue that lines the inner layer of the uterus. In thin endometrium, the endometrium lining is less than 7 mm thick. It is also damaged due to low estrogen levels, insufficient blood supply, bacterial infections, etc.

How Do You Treat Thin Endometrium?

There are several methods of treatment available depending upon your thin endometrium cause. You can opt for estrogen therapy, infusion of G-CSF, hysteroscopy, exercise regularly, practice acupuncture, use natural herbs, etc. All these methods help significantly in treating thin endometrium.

How Can I Improve My Thin Endometrium?

To improve your thin endometrium, you can do the following:

• Go for estrogen therapy
• Take natural supplements like red clover
• Exercise daily for at least half an hour
• Practice acupuncture or do fertility massages
• Use castor oil packs
• Go for intrauterine infusion of G-CSF or frozen embryo transfer