Why Is Hyperplasia Dangerous?
Print PageInitially, endometrial hyperplasia causes very heavy menstruation, which can lead to iron deficiency anemia (IDA). An anemic woman feels tired, depressed, irritable and withdrawn because her blood cells cannot carry enough oxygen to supply the needs of her body. As the anemia worsens, the affected woman will probably perform badly at study or work because of cognitive problems. Severe anemia leads to chest and abdominal pain, fainting, and breathing difficulties.
One-third of women with hyperplasia
develop endometrial carcinoma
If the hyperplasia overgrows to the extent that it penetrates the muscle layer of the uterus (adenomyosis), then the endometrium is precancerous and menstruation becomes painful.
Left untreated, the constant irritation of endometrial hyperplasia can cause the cells of the uterus to change. If your endometrium measures less than 5 mm, there is a 98% chance that you do not have cancer. An endometrium thicker than 5 mm has a 7.3% chance of harboring cancer. Menopausal women with cellular changes in their endometria are more likely to develop cancer than women of childbearing age.