Fertility and prolapse Flashcards
Retained products of conception- definition, symptoms and diagnosis
Definition: when pregnancy related tissue i.e. placental tissue or fetal membranes remain in the uterus after delivery. It can also occur after miscarriage
Symptoms: vaginal bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, lower abdominal or pelvic pain, fever.
Diagnosis= ultrasound
Retained products of conception: management
- Remove them surgically
- ERCP: the cervix is gradually widened using dilators and the products are manually removed using vacuum aspiration and curettage (scraping).
- The two complications are Endometritis and Asherman’s syndrome
Subfertility- basic investigations
- Semen analysis
- Serum progesterone 7 days prior to expected next period i.e. day 21
- Chlamydia screening, BMI, rubella immunity in the mother
Subfertility- key counselling advice
- Folic acid 400mg
- Aim for BMI 20-25
- Regular sexual intercourse every 2 to 3 days
- Smoking/drinking advice
When to start investigations for infertility
Investigations and referral for infertility should be started when the couple has been trying to conceive for 12 months. This can be reduced to 6 months if the women is older than 35 as her ovarian stores are likely to be already reduced
Causes of subfertility
- Sperm problems (30%)
- Ovulation problems (25%)
- Tubal problems (15%)
- Uterine problems (10%)
- Unexplained (20%)
Female hormone testing involves
- Serum LH and FSH on day 2 to 5 of the cycle
- Serum progesterone on day 21 of the cycle (or 7 days before the end of the cycle if not a 28-day cycle).
- Anti-Mullerian hormone
- Thyroid function tests when symptoms are suggestive
- Prolactin (hyperprolactinaemia is a cause of anovulation) when symptoms of galactorrhea or amenorrhoea
Female hormone testing results
- High FSH suggests poor ovarian reserve
- High LH suggests PCOS
- A rise in progesterone on day 21 indicates that ovulation has occurred
- Anti-Mullerian hormone, high levels suggest good ovarian reserve. Can be measured any time in the cycle
Further fertility investigations, often performed in secondary care (female)
- Ultrasound pelvis to look for polycystic ovaries or any structural abnormalities in the uterus
- Hysterosalpingogram to look at the patency of the fallopian tubes
- Laparoscopy and dye test to look at the patency of the fallopian tubes, adhesions and endometriosis
Semen analysis
After 2 days of sexual abstinence but no more then 7 after. Repeat at 3 months, earlier if grossly abnormal. The semen sample needs to be complete and if not the man should report this, should be delivered to lab within an hour.
Secondary infertility treatment in men
1) Microbiology tests
2) Sperm culture
3) Endocrine tests
4) Imaging of the urogenital tract
5) Testicular biopsy
Assisted pregnancy techniques
- IUI- intrauterine insemination
- In vitro fertilisation
- ICSI= Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection
- In females Gonadotrophins or Clomiphene citrate to induce ovulation
- Pro-nuclear transfer: 3 parents baby, done if the mother is carrying a mitochondrial disease
Utero-vagina prolapse
Due to weakening and lengthening of the ligaments and muscles surrounding the uterus, rectum and bladder
Types of prolapse
- Uterine: when the uterus descends into the vagina
- Vault: in women that have a hysterectomy and no longer have a uterus, the top of the vagina (the vault) descends into the vagina
- Rectocele: defects in the posterior vaginal wall which cause the rectum to prolapse forwards into the vagina, associated with constipation
- Cystocele: defects in the anterior vaginal wall, causing the bladder to prolapse backwards into the vagina. Prolapse of the urethra is also possible (urethrocele). Prolapse of both bladder and urethra I called cystourethrocele
Prolapse- risk factors
- Multiple vaginal deliveries
- Instrumental, prolonged or traumatic delivery
- Advanced age, postmenopausal
- Obesity
- Chronic respiratory disease causing coughing
- Chronic constipation
Prolapse- symptoms
- A feeling of “something coming down” in the vagina
- A dragging or heavy sensation in the pelvis
- Urinary symptoms, such as incontinence, urgency, frequency, weak stream and retention
- Bowel symptoms, such as constipation, incontinence and urgency
- Sexual dysfunction, such as pain, altered sensation and reduced enjoyment
Grading using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification
- Grade 0: Normal
- Grade 1: The lowest part is more than 1cm above the introitus
- Grade 2: The lowest part is within 1cm of the introitus (above or below)
*Grade 3: The lowest part is more than 1cm below the introitus, but not fully descended - Grade 4: Full descent with eversion of the vagina
Surgery for uterine prolapse
- Vaginal hysterectomy: traditional treatment, not often effective
- Hysteropexy, open or laproscopic: the uterus and cervix are attached to the sacrum using a bifurcated non-absorbable mesh
Vaginal vault prolapse treatment
1) Sacrocolpexy, which can be laproscopic or open, fixes the vault to the sacrum using a mesh. Complications include mesh erosion and haemorrhage.
2) Sacrospinous fixation is performed vaginally and suspends the vault to the sacrospinous ligament. Complications include nerve or vessel injury, infection and buttock pain. It is less effective but recovery is faster.
Vaginal wall prolapse
Anterior and posterior ‘repairs’ are used for the relevant prolapse but, as several prolapses may occur in one patient, these operations are often combined.