Estrogen Receptor Gene PvuII and XbaI Polymorphisms and Ultrasonographic Findings of Uterine Endometrium in Postmenopausal Women with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Kim, Hye Jin; Choi, Young Sik; Jee, Byung Chul; Ku, Seung Yup; Suh, Chang Suk; Choi, Young Min; Kim, Jung Gu; Moon, Shin Yong; Kim, Seok Hyun

Original Article

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2005;48(4):969-977.
Published online April 1, 2005.

Estrogen Receptor Gene PvuII and XbaI Polymorphisms and Ultrasonographic Findings of Uterine Endometrium in Postmenopausal Women with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Hye Jin Kim, Young Sik Choi, Byung Chul Jee, Seung Yup Ku, Chang Suk Suh, Young Min Choi, Jung Gu Kim, Shin Yong Moon, Seok Hyun Kim

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. seokhyun@snu.ac.kr
²Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Population, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To explore the association of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha gene PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms and ultrasonographic findings of uterine endometrium. METHODS: Forty-five postmenopausal women undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were included in this study. Women were evaluated for PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms for ER alpha gene after extracting DNA from peripheral blood. The thickness and appearance of uterine endometrium was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography. The association of estrogen receptor gene PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms and ultrasonographic endometrial findings were analyzed. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in endometrial thickness (pp 3.6 +/- 1.5 mm, Pp 4.2 +/- 1.6 mm, PP 3.5 +/- 1.3 mm) or endometrial appearance among the three different groups by PvuII polymorphism. No significant difference was also observed in endometrial thickness (xx 3.6 +/- 1.5 mm, Xx 4.2 +/- 1.4 mm) or endometrial appearance between the two groups of different XbaI genotypes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that neither PvuII nor XbaI polymorphism of the estrogen receptor alpha gene may be associated with the ultrasonographic findings of uterine endometrium in postmenopausal women undergoing HRT. Further studies with a larger scale are necessary to confirm these data.

Key Words: Postmenopausal women, Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Estrogen receptor (ER) gene, Polymorphism, PvuII, XbaI, Endometrium