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7417516 
Journal Article 
Benign Diseases of the Endometrium 
Lastra, RR; Mccluggage, WG; Hedrick Ellenson, L; , 
2018 
Springer US 
New York, NY 
Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract 
1-63 
The endometrium and the myometrium are of mesodermal origin and are formed secondary to fusion of the müllerian (paramesonephric) ducts between the 8th and 9th postovulatory weeks. Likewise, the cervix is of müllerian origin. The squamous epithelial lining of the ectocervix and upper two-thirds of the vagina (müllerian vagina) are of vaginal müllerian origin, while the squamous epithelial lining of the lower third of the vagina (sinus vagina) develops from the urogenital sinus; the endocervical glandular epithelium has recently been shown to be of uterine müllerian origin (Fluhmann 1960; Fritsch et al. 2013). Until the 20th week of gestation, the endometrium consists of a single layer of columnar epithelium supported by a thick layer of fibroblastic stroma. After the 20th gestational week, the surface epithelium invaginates into the underlying stroma, forming glandular structures that extend toward the underlying myometrium. The uterus, which is made up of the uterine corpus and uterine cervix, measures approximately 4 cm in length at birth, and in newborns, the cervix makes up the majority of the uterus. At this stage, the endometrium measures less than 0.5 mm in thickness, and the surface and glands are lined by a low columnar to cuboidal epithelium devoid of either proliferative or secretory activity, which resembles the inactive endometrium of postmenopausal women.