Gynaecology

Question 1

Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB)

Answer 1

An overarching term for disturbed menstrual bleeding, which includes bleeding that is abnormally heavy or abnormal in timing

Question 2

Primary amenorrhoea

Answer 2

Failure to menstruate by 15-16 years of age in someone with secondary sexual characteristics

Question 3

Delayed puberty

Answer 3

Failure to menstruate by 13-14 years of age in someone without secondary sexual characteristics

Question 4

Secondary amenorrhoea

Answer 4

Absence of periods for a 6-month period in a woman who has previously had menstrual periods

Question 5

Intermenstrual bleeding

Answer 5

Bleeding episodes between normally timed menstrual periods that are either random or follow a cyclical pattern

Question 6

Irregular menstrual bleeding

Answer 6

A range of varying lengths of bleeding-free intervals >17 days within one 90-day reference period

Question 7

Prolonged menstrual bleeding

Answer 7

Prolonged menstrual bleeding for greater than or equal to 10 days in one episode

Question 8

Acute AUB

Answer 8

An episode of heavy bleeding that, in the clinician’s opinion, is sufficiently heavy to
require immediate treatment to prevent further blood loss

Question 9

Chronic AUB

Answer 9

Bleeding from the uterine corpus that is abnormal in volume, duration, and/or frequency and has been present for most of the past 6 months

Question 10

Heavy menstrual bleeding

Answer 10

Excessive menstrual blood loss that interferes with a woman’s physical, emotional, social, and material quality of life, occurring alone or with other symptoms.
Note that this definition includes menstrual bleeding deemed excessive by the patient regardless of its regularity, frequency, or duration

Question 11

Infrequent menstrual bleeding

Answer 11

One or two episodes in a 90-day period

Question 12

Dysmenorrhoea

Answer 12

Pelvic pain during menstruation

Question 13

Dyspareunia

Answer 13

Painful sexual intercourse. Can be characterised as deep dyspareunia with pain with intercourse deep in the vagina or pelvis or superficial dyspareunia with pain with intercourse at the introitus, vulva or lower vagina

Question 14

Cervical excitation

Answer 14

Pain felt by the woman when her cervix is moved during vaginal examination, typically from free blood in the peritoneal cavity

Question 15

Cervical ectropion

Answer 15

The endocervical columnar epithelium protrudes through the external os of the cervix and onto the vaginal portion of the cervix

Question 16

Infertility

Answer 16

The failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse

Question 17

Endometriosis

Answer 17

The occurrence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, most commonly on the pelvic peritoneal surfaces

Question 18

Adenomyosis

Answer 18

The occurrence of endometrial tissue within the myometrium

Question 19

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

Answer 19

Infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes or pelvis

Question 20

Menopause

Answer 20

The term natural menopause is defined as the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from the loss of ovarian follicular activity where the last period was 12 months prior

Question 21

Premature menopause

Answer 21

Menopause occurring before 40 years of age

Question 22

Induced menopause

Answer 22

The term induced menopause is defined as the cessation of menstruation which follows either surgical removal of both ovaries (with or without hysterectomy) or iatrogenic ablation of ovarian function (eg by chemotherapy or radiation

Question 23

Climacteric/perimenopause

Answer 23

The period of time when ovarian function declines and menopausal symptoms appear

Question 24

Post menopause

Answer 24

The time after menopause

Question 25

Lactational amenorrhoea method

Answer 25

Effective contraception provided when a woman is fully breast-feeding a baby less than 6 months of age and has no return of menses