menopause/thickness of uterine wall

I am 55 and have not had a period for about 10 years.  However, I have been diagnosed with fibriods and had fibroid removal back in 2000.  Recently, I have still been diagnosed with fibriods and also a thickness of the uterine wall.  I have had no bleeding and my papsmear was normal.  Is this thickning due to the fibroids and why have they not diminished due to my age.  Do I have cancer?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

It is difficult to understand if your lining is thicker or the wall itself is thicker. If it is the wall, it could be due to a fibroid which is virtually never cancer. If the thickness is due to the uterine lining, the buildup could be due to abnormal cells. The best thing to do is talk with your doctor. He/she might want to look inside the uterus with a telescope (hysteroscopy) and/or check the lining cells with an endometrial biopsy. This will let you know if the thickness is due to cancer. Most times it will not be but it needs to be checked to find out. Fibroids usually do shrink after menopause but not all the way. For most women they will shrink 30 to 60%.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD