Endometrium

The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus. It changes in response to hormones during the menstrual cycle and can support embryo implantation.

Menstrual cycle: The recurring hormonal and reproductive changes that prepare the body for possible pregnancy. The endometrium’s growth and shedding form one of the cycle’s central changes.
Uterus: A hollow muscular organ in which a fetus can develop during pregnancy. The endometrium is the uterus’s innermost tissue layer.
Endometriosis: A chronic disease in which tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. Despite its name, endometriosis is defined by lesions outside the endometrium itself.
Myometrium: The thick smooth-muscle layer forming most of the uterine wall. Unlike the endometrium, the myometrium produces the uterus’s muscular contractions.
Estrogen: A group of steroid hormones involved in reproductive development and function. Estrogen stimulates endometrial growth during the follicular phase.
Endometrial epithelium: The surface lining of the endometrium, composed mainly of simple columnar cells. These surface cells meet the uterine cavity and participate in implantation.
Endometrial hyperplasia: Excessive proliferation of endometrial glands, sometimes associated with atypical cellular changes. It is an abnormal overgrowth of the tissue whose normal growth is hormone-regulated.
Adenomyosis: A condition in which endometrial glands and stroma are present within the uterine muscle. It involves endometrial-type tissue growing inside the myometrium, not outside the uterus.
Progesterone: A steroid hormone that prepares and maintains the uterus for pregnancy. Progesterone converts the proliferating lining into a secretory, implantation-ready tissue.
Endometrial gland: A gland in the endometrium that changes its structure and secretions across the menstrual cycle. Gland activity shifts under hormones and helps prepare the lining for pregnancy.

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