General Gynaecology Flashcards
What is the vulva?
Visible external female genitalia.
Borders:
- Anterior - mons pubis
- Posterior - anus
- Laterally - genitocrural folds
What is the perineum?
Area between the urethral meatus and the anus, including the overlying skin and the underlying muscle.
What are the 2 layers of the pelvic floor?
Superficial perineal compartment
Pelvic diaphragm
What 2 muscles make up the pelvic diaphragm?
Levator ani and coccygeus muscles.
What is puberty?
Transition between childhood and sexual maturity
What is menarche?
Onset on menstruation that typically occurs between ages 8 and 16 (average age = 12)
What is menopause?
Cessation of menses, usually occuring around age 50
If a woman beyond the age of 55 continues to bleed, what should we do?
Investigate to rule out malignancy
What are the phases of the menstrual cycle?
- The menstrual phase = day1- end of bleeding (usually day 4/5)
- The proliferative phase = end of menstruation - ovulation (day 13/14)
- The luteal/secretory phase = ovulation - day 28
Which cells in the oocyte do LH and FSH stimulate respectivey?
LH -> thecal cells
FSH -> granulosa cells
What happens to the oocyte during the menstrual cycle?
It matures in the follicle from day 1 untilthe LH surge, when ovulation occurs roughly 24-36 hours later. The oocyte will go on for implantation, and the follicle will turn into the corpus luteum.
What is the corpus luteum?
Endocrine organ formed by the follicle after ovulation. It produces progesterone.
It degenerates if there is no implantation.
What are the common presentation in gynae?
Abnormal vaginal bleeding Abdominal pain Pelvic pain Vaginal discharge Vulval lesions Dyspareunia
How might vaginal bleeding be abnormal?
May be prolonged or heavy bleeding at regular or irregular intervals Inter-menstrual bleeding Short intervals between menses Long interval between menses Post-menopausal bleeding
What reproductive tract diseases could cause abnormal vaginal bleeding?
- Pregnancy related conditions such as ectopics, miscarriage, implantation bleeding.
- Uterine lesions
- Cervical lesions
- Iatrogenic - IUD, steroid use/HRT, OCP at start of use, POP, or some herbal medications.
What systemic disorders can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding?
- Bleeding and clotting disorders e.g. von Willebrand disease, prothrombin deficiency
- Hypothyroidism
- Cirrhosis
What endocrine disorders can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding?
- Anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding
- Ovulatory DUB
When assessing a pt with abnormal vaginal bleeding, what is the most important to factor to consider?
Age!
If reproductive age, ruling out something pregnancy-related should be the first step!
Where is the most common site for ectopic pregnancy to occur?
The ampulla of the fallopian tube
How many ectopic pregnancies are tubal?
97%
What is the main clinical indication for starting HRT?
Vasomotor symptoms
What kind of HRT should women with a uterus be given, and why?
Combined oestrogen and progesterone.
Progesterone reduces risk of endometrial cancer, which is a risk of unopposed oestrogen.
What causes the vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause?
Decreasing oestrogen levels in the perimenopausal period.
What are the 2 types of amenorrhoea?
Primary (failure to start menses by age 16) and secondary (cessation of regular established menstruation)
What are some of the main causes of secondary amenorrhoea?
- Hypothalamic amenorrhoea
- PCOS
- Hyperprolactinaemia
- Premature ovarian failure
- Thyrotxicosis and hypothyroidism
- Sheehan’s syndrome
- Asherman’s syndrome
What are some of the main causes of primary amenorrhoea?
Turner’s syndrome
Testicular feminisation
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Congenital malformations of genital tract
A 26 year old woman presents with cessation of periods. Her last period was 8 months ago. She is not on any contraception, and is not pregnant.
How should we investigate?
Urinary/serum bHCG just in case she is preggo
Gonadotrophins - if low -> hypothalamic, if high -> ovarian.
Prolactin
Anrogens -> raised in PCOS
Oestradiol
TFTs
What is PID?
Infection and inflammation of the female pelvic organs, usually secondary to an ascending infection from the endocervix.
What is the most common cause of PID?
Chlamydia trachomatis
A 26 years old woman presents with lower abdominal pain and a fever.
What other features would lead you to suspect PID?
Deep dyspareunia Dysuria/menstrual irregularities Hx of STI Vaginal/cervical discharge Cervical excitation
How should suspected PID be investigated?
Screen for Chlamydia and Gonorrohoea
How should PID be managed?
With a low threshold for treatment.
IM ceftriaxone stat + oral doxycline + oral metronidazole BD for 14 days
OR
Oral ofloxacin + oral metronidazole BD for 14 days
What are the potential complications of PID?
Infertility - up to 10-20% after a single episode.
Chronic pelvic pain
Ectopic pregnancy
What is post-menopausal bleeding, and why is it a concern?
PV bleeding occuring after 12 months or amenorrhoea in a woman where menopause can be expected.
Although the cause is often benign, malignancy must be excluded!
How common is post-menopausal bleeding?
Very, makes up 5% of all gnae outpatients appointments.
What is the most common malignancy we want to rule out as a cause of post-menopausal bleeding?
Endometrial cancer
A woman presents with post-menopausal bleeding. What do you need to find out from the history to assess her risk for endometrial cancer?
General oestogen exposure: -Unopposed oestrogen-only HRT -Tamoxifen use -Low parity/infertility -Early menarche/late menopause -Increasing age -PCOS -Obesity HTN Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer
What causes are the of post-menopausal bleeding? Which is the most common?
- Vaginal atrophy (most common)
- HRT
- Endometrial hyperplasia
- Endometrial/cervical/ovarian/vaginal/vulval cancer
- Endometrial/cervical polyps
- Trauma
- Bleeding disorder
How should post-menopausal bleeding be managed?
Treat it as cancer until proven otherwise i.e. 2ww to gynae appointment with imaging and biopsy.
What is a good first line investigation for a woman with PMB? Why is this good?
Transvaginal ultrasound.
Endometrial thickness can be assessed. As it is thinner in post-menopausal women, if it is thickened on TVUS, there is a higher likelihood of pathology and therefore further investigation.
What is the cut-off endometrial thickness on TVUS for further investigation?
5mm
How can a definitive diagnosis be made for PMB?
Endometrial biopsy sent for histology.
What happens at a gynae one-stop clinic?
All the consultations, imaging, and biopsies are done:
- TVUS
- Consultation with doctor
- External examination
- Hysteroscopy and biopsy
What cautions do we need to keep in mind when seeing a woman with PMB?
- They may not be able to tell urinary or PR bleeding from vaginal
- Having atrophic vaginitis is almost a diagnosis of exclusion - must rule out all other pathology as it may co-exist.
- Pts on HRT still need investiagting for PMB
How do women on tamoxifen differ to other women when it comes to PMB?
Tamoxifen causes changes to the endometrium so TVUS is less reliable and harder to interpret. They should have TVUS as well as hysteroscopy and biopsy as standard.
What is intermenstrual bleeding?
PV bleeding other than post-coital at any time during the menstrual cycle other than during normal menstruation. It is a SYMPTOM.
What is post-coital bleeding?
Non-menstrual bleeding that occurs immediately after sexual intercourse. It is a SYMPTOM.
What is breakthrough bleeding?
Irregular bleeding associated with hormonal contraception. It is a SYMPTOM.
How common is post-coital bleeding?
1-9% of menstruating women experience it.
Why do intermenstrual and post-coital bleeding cause so much anxiety?
They can be symptoms of gynaecological cancer.
What are the potential causes of post-coital bleeding?
- Infection
- Polyps
- Cervical/vaginal cancer
- Trauma/sexual abuse
- Vaginal atrophic changes
What are the potential causes of intermenstrual bleeding?
- Pregnancy-related
- Physiological (around ovulation/pre-menopause)
- Vaginal factors (adenosis/vaginitis/tumour)
- Cervical factors (infection/cancer/polyps/ectropion)
- Uterine factors (fibroids/polyps/cancer/adenomyosis/endometritis)
- Oestrogen-secreting ovarian tumours
- OTC/herbal remedies taken with hormonal contraception
How can we distinguish between the causes of post-coital and intermenstrual bleeding?
By taking a careful history:
- menstrual
- Obstetric
- gynae
- sexual
- medical
- drugs inc. OTC/herbal remedies
- Systemic symptoms (thinking about cancer)
What are Bartholin’s glands?
A pair of glands the size of a pea situated at 4 and 8 o’clock on the inferior aspect of the opening of the vagina.