Disorders of the female genital tract 2: Uterus and ovaries Flashcards
What is endometriosis?
Get ectopic endometrium which bleeds into tissues resulting in fibrosis
25% of women with endometriosis are asymptomatic, what 6 symptoms do some report?
1) Dysmenorrhoea
2) Dyspareunia (difficult or painful sexual intercourse)
3) Pelvic pain
4) Subfertility
5) Pain on passing stool
6) Dysuria
What investigation is carried out in suspected endometriosis?
Laparoscopy (a surgical procedure in which a fibre-optic instrument is inserted through the abdominal wall to view the organs in the abdomen)
There is both medical and surgical treatment for endometriosis, what is the medical treatment? 3
1) COCP (combined oral contraceptive pill)
2) GnRH agonist.antagonist (lower FSH and LH)
3) Progesterone antagonist
What is the possible surgical treatment for endometrosis?
1) Ablation
2) TAH-BSO (Total Abdominal Hysterectomy Bilateral Salpingo Oophorectomy)
What 3 other conditions has endometriosis been linked with?
1) Ectopic pregnancy
2) Ovarian cancer
3) IBD
What is endometritis and what 2 types can occur?
Inflammation of the endometrium
Can be acute or chronic
Give 2 causes of acute endometritis?
1) Retained POC/placenta
2) Complicated labour
What cell appears histologically in acute endometritis?
Neutrophils
Give 4 causes of chronic endometritis?
1) PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
2) Retained gestational tissue
3) Endometrial TB
4) IUCD (intrauterine contraceptive device) infection
What cells appear histologically in chronic endometritis?
Lymphocytes and plasma cells
What are the 5 common symptoms of endometritis?
1) Abdominal/ pelvic pain
2) Pyrexia
3) Discharge
4) Dysuria
5) Abnormal vaginal bleeding
What are the 2 investigations in suspected endometriosis?
1) Biochemistry/ microbiology
2) USS
What are the 3 therapies for endometritis?
1) Analgesia
2) Abx
3) Remove cause
What are endometrial polyps?
Sessile/ polypoid oestrogen-dependent uterine overgrowths
Endometrial polyps are often asymptomatic but can cause what 4 symptoms?
1) Intermenstrual bleeding
2) Post menopausal bleeding
3) Menorrhagia
4) Dysmenorrhoea
What are the 2 main investigations in suspected endometrial polyps?
1) USS
2) Hysteroscopy (hysterscope inserted into vagina to examine cervix and inside of uterus)
What is the medical treatment for endometrial polyps?
Progesterone/ Gonadotropin agonists
What is the surgical treatment for endometrial polyps?
Curettage (scraping or scooping)
Can endometrial polyps be malignant?
Yes, but less than 1% are malignant
What is leiomyomata (uterine fibroids)?
Benign myometrial (smooth muscle) tumours with oestrogen/progesterone dependent growth
What are the 5 risk factors for developing leiomyomata?
1) Genetics
2) Nulliparity (never having children)
3) Obesity
4) PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
5) HTN (hypertension)
Leiomyomata is often asymptomatic, but what 3 symptoms are sometimes reported?
1) Menometrorrhagia (heavy, painful bleeding) - thus get Fe def anaemia
2) Subfertility/ pregnancy problems
3) Pressure symptoms
What are the 2 investigations in suspected leiomyomata?
1) Bimanual examination
2) USS
What are the 5 medical therapies for leiomyomata?
1) IUS
2) NSAIDs
3) OCP (oral contraceptive pill)
4) Progesterone
5) Iron
What are the 3 non medical therapies for leiomyomata?
1) Artery embolization
2) Ablation (surgical removal of body tissue)
3) TAH - total abdominal hysterectomy
What 2 things can leiomyomata lead to?
1) menopausal regression
2) malignancy risk 0.1%
What is endometrial hyperplasia?
Excessive endometrial proliferation (increased oestrogen and decreased progesterone)
What are the 6 risk factors for endometrial hyperplasia?
1) Obesity
2) Exogenous oestrogen
3) PCOS
4) Oestrogen producing tumours
5) Tamoxifen
6) HNPCC (PTEN mutations) - hereditary non polypoidal colorectal cancer
What are the 2 types of endometrial hyperplasia according to the WHO classification, how likely is each to become malignant?
1) Non-atypical hyperplasia (1-3% progress)
2) Atypical hyperplasia (23-48% are carcinoma on hysterectomy)
What is the main symptom of endometrial hyperplasia?
Abnormal bleeding (inter menstrual bleeding, post coital bleeding, post menopausal bleeding)
What are the 2 main investigations in suspected endometrial hyperplasia?
1) USS
2) Hysterectomy +/- biopsy
What are the 2 medical treatments for endometrial hyperplasia?
1) IUS
2) Progesterone
What is the surgical treatment for endometrial hyperplasia?
TAH - total abdominal hysterectomy
What type of cancer can endometrial hyperplasia progress to?
Endometroid adenocarcinoma
What are the 4 stages in the malignant progression of hyperplasia?
1) Normal
2) Non atypical hyperplasia
3) Atypical hyperplasia
4) Endometroid carcinoma