ABSTRACT

The rat estrous cycle matched with human proliferate, follicular, and early-late secretory phase findings.

During proestrous the observed increase in length of the epithelium, the loss of the popillas of the lumen, the formation of pseudoglands, develop-ment of fibroblast-like stromal cells in lamina propria and the fullness in veins correletes with the early proliferation stage of lumen. During the estrous cycle, behind the apical cells generally like a dot are well developed. The interdi-gitations were more developed than those during proestrus. In this stage, the increase in length of the epithelium, the presence of apoptotic cell and substan-ces, formation of folds in glandular lumens, developed resident stromal cells in lamina propria, increase in angiogenesis and collagen fibers, and the presence of hypertrophic smooth muscle cells were appropriate findings for the late pro-liferate phase of the human uterus. In the metaestrous cycle, the distinctive dec-rease in epithelium length, the presence of highly developed uterus glands and pseudoglands, increase in developed resident stromal cells in lamina propria, and smooth muscle cells with dense cytoplasm were all regarded as appropriate findings for the early secretory phase. In the diestrous stage, the alterations in the metaestrous cycle increased and the findings were consistent with the late secretory phase of the human uterus.

16 Wistar albino female rats were used. The rats’ est-rous cycle stages were proestrous, estrous, metaestrous, and diestrous. Vaginal smears were obtained and stained using an adaptation of the Papanicolau pro-cedure. Suitable sections from the uterus for microscopic study were prepared.

To examine structural changes in the uterine wall during the mens-trual cycle