Tazim Dowlut-McElroy

Menstrual Patterns and Treatment of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Adolescents with Bleeding Disorders.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To characterize menstrual bleeding patterns and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents with bleeding disorders. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We conducted a retrospective review of female patients aged nine to 21 years with known bleeding disorders who attended a pediatric gynecology, hematology, and comprehensive hematology/gynecology clinic at a childrens hospital in a metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of heavy menstrual bleeding at menarche, prolonged menses, and irregular menses among girls with bleeding disorders and patterns of initial and subsequent treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding in girls with bleeding disorders. RESULTS Of 115 participants aged nine to 21 years with known bleeding disorders, 102 were included in the final analysis. Of the 69 postmenarcheal girls, almost half (32/69, 46.4%) noted heavy menstrual bleeding at menarche. Girls with von Willebrand disease were more likely to have menses lasting longer than seven days. Only 28% of girls had discussed a treatment plan for heavy menstrual bleeding before menarche. Hormonal therapy was most commonly used as initial treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding. Half (53%) of the girls failed initial treatment. Combination (hormonal and non-hormonal therapy) was more frequently used for subsequent treatment. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents with bleeding disorders are at risk of heavy bleeding at and after menarche. Consultation with a pediatric gynecologist and/or hematologist prior to menarche may be helpful to outline abnormal patterns of menstrual bleeding and to discuss options of treatment in the event of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Endometriosis in adolescents

Purpose of review The current article addresses recent literature regarding the diagnosis and management of endometriosis in adolescents. Recent findings An increasing body of literature suggests that advanced-stage endometriosis (revised scoring system of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Stage III or IV) and deeply invasive endometriosis are relatively common in adolescents. There remains limited data on the efficacy of postoperative hormonal management of endometriosis in the adolescent population. Summary Strong consideration should be made for surgical diagnosis of endometriosis in adolescents with pelvic pain, including noncyclic pain, with a concurrent family history of endometriosis and personal history of atopic disease. More research is needed regarding the benefits of the routine use of hypoestrogenic and other hormonal agents in the prevention of disease progression and long-term sequela in adolescents with endometriosis.

Factor VII deficiency diagnosed after minor genital trauma

This case presents the first documented report of the diagnosis of factor VII (FVII) deficiency associated with massive haematoma following a minor straddle injury and underscores the need for haematologic evaluation of bleeding disorders in young women who present with pain out of proportion to injury, prolonged bleeding, expanding haematoma or suggestive family history, after otherwise minor traumatic injury (Fig. 1).

Pediatric Ovarian Growing Teratoma Syndrome

Ovarian immature teratoma is a germ cell tumor that comprises less than 1% of ovarian cancers and is treated with surgical debulking and chemotherapy depending on stage. Growing teratoma syndrome (GTS) is the phenomenon of the growth of mature teratoma elements with normal tumor markers during or following chemotherapy for treatment of a malignant germ cell tumor. These tumors are associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to invasive and compressive growth as well as potential for malignant transformation. Current treatment modality is surgical resection. We discuss a 12-year-old female who presented following resection of a pure ovarian immature teratoma (grade 3, FIGO stage IIIC). Following chemotherapy and resection of a pelvic/liver recurrence demonstrating mature teratoma, she underwent molecular genetics based chemotherapeutic treatment. No standardized management protocol has been established for the treatment of GTS. The effect of chemotherapeutic agents for decreasing the volume of and prevention of expansion is unknown. We review in detail the history, diagnostic algorithm, and previous reported pediatric cases as well as treatment options for pediatric patients with GTS.