SEXUAL HEALTH Menstrual and Ovarian Conditions Flashcards
Amenorrhea
The absence of menstruation, often defined as missing one or more menstrual periods. Primary amenorrhea refers to the absence of menstruation in someone who has not had a period by age 15.
SYMPTOMS: Depending on the cause of amenorrhea, you might experience other signs or symptoms along with the absence of periods, such as:
Milky nipple discharge.
Hair loss.
Headache.
Vision changes.
Excess facial hair.
Pelvic pain.
Acne.
CAUSE: An overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can cause menstrual irregularities, including amenorrhea. Pituitary tumor. A noncancerous (benign) tumor in your pituitary gland can interfere with the hormonal regulation of menstruation.
Anovulation
An anovulatory cycle, also referred to as anovulation, refers to a menstrual cycle in which the release of an egg from the ovaries does not occur. Chronic anovulation, or anovulation that persists for a year or longer, can be a common cause of infertility.
In general, the menstrual cycle is a hormonal process to prepare the body for a potential pregnancy. The menstrual cycle is marked by monthly bleeding, commonly referred to as one’s “period,” and also typically involves ovulation, or the release of an ovum (i.e., egg), midway through each cycle. Although individuals with an anovulatory cycle do not experience ovulation, they may still experience bleeding due to changes in hormone levels. This bleeding is usually referred to as withdrawal bleeding.
Anovulation happens when an egg (ovum) doesn’t release from your ovary during your menstrual cycle. An egg is needed to have a pregnancy. Since multiple hormones are involved in ovulation, there are many causes of anovulation. Chronic anovulation is a common cause of infertility.
SYMPTOMS: Not having periods.
Not having cervical mucus.
Excessive bleeding with periods.
Light bleeding with periods.
Irregular basal body temperature (BBT)
CAUSE: Image result for anovulation CAUSE
Anovulation is often due to hormonal imbalances that can be the result of using hormonal birth control, being underweight or overweight, exercising excessively, or experiencing significant stress. PCOS is another common cause of anovulation. Anovulation commonly occurs during an individual’s reproductive years.
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB)
Occurs when the normal cycle of menstruation is disrupted, usually due to anovulation (failure to ovulate) that’s unrelated to another illness. Ovulation failure is the most common type of DUB in adolescents and in women who are reaching perimenopause.
Dysmenorrhea
AKA menstrual cramps are throbbing or cramping pains in the lower abdomen. Many women have menstrual cramps just before and during their menstrual periods. Dysmenorrhea may be primary, existing from the beginning of periods, or secondary, due to an underlying condition
SYMPTOMS: cramping or pain in the lower abdomen, low back pain, pain spreading down the legs, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, fainting, or headaches.
CAUSE: Women with primary dysmenorrhea have abnormal contractions of the uterus due to a chemical imbalance in the body.
OTHER CAUSES:
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Uterine fibroids.
Abnormal pregnancy (miscarriage, ectopic)
Infection, tumors, or polyps in the pelvic cavity.
Menopause
A point in time 12 months after a woman’s last period. The years leading up to that point, when women may have changes in their monthly cycles, hot flashes, or other symptoms, are called the menopausal transition or perimenopause. The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55.
SYMPTOMS: Irregular periods.
Vaginal dryness.
Hot flashes.
Chills.
Night sweats.
Sleep problems.
Mood changes.
Weight gain and slowed metabolism.
CAUSE: Menopause can result from: Naturally declining reproductive hormones. As you approach your late 30s, your ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone — the hormones that regulate menstruation — and your fertility declines
Menorrhagia
Menstrual bleeding that lasts more than 7 days. It can also be bleeding that is very heavy. How do you know if you have heavy bleeding? If you need to change your tampon or pad after less than 2 hours or you pass clots the size of a quarter or larger, that is heavy bleeding.
SYMPTOMS: Have a menstrual flow that soaks through one or more pads or tampons every hour for several hours in a row.
Need to double up on pads to control your menstrual flow.
Need to change pads or tampons during the night.
Have menstrual periods lasting more than 7 days.
CAUSE: Menorrhagia in older reproductive-age women is typically due to uterine pathology, including fibroids, polyps and adenomyosis. However, other problems, such as uterine cancer, bleeding disorders, medication side effects and liver or kidney disease could be contributing factors
Oligomenorrhea
Infrequent menstrual periods (fewer than six to eight periods per year). The causes, evaluation, and treatment of amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea are similar and will be discussed together.
SYMPTOMS: Oligomenorrhea is a type of abnormal menstruation that involves infrequent periods. You may regularly go for longer than 35 days between periods.
Symptoms include:
Acne.
Headaches.
Hot flashes.
Abdominal pain.
Vaginal discharge.
Impaired vision.
Excess hair growth on your face and body.
CAUSE: Conditions that cause hormone imbalances in your body are often to blame for infrequent periods. Your reproductive organs and glands in your brain produce a variety of hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle. When these hormones are in balance, your menstrual cycle is more predictable.
Ovarian Cyst
Fluid-filled sac that develops on an ovary. They’re very common and do not usually cause any symptoms. Most ovarian cysts occur naturally and go away in a few months without needing any treatment.
SYMPTOMS: pelvic pain – this can range from a dull, heavy sensation to a sudden, severe and sharp pain.
pain during sex.
difficulty emptying your bowels.
a frequent need to urinate.
heavy periods, irregular periods or lighter periods than normal.
bloating and a swollen tummy.
CAUSE: Hormonal problems. Functional cysts usually go away on their own without treatment. They may be caused by hormonal problems or by drugs used to help you ovulate.
Endometriosis. Women with endometriosis can develop a type of ovarian cyst called an endometrioma. The endometriosis tissue may attach to the ovary and form a growth. These cysts can be painful during sex and during your period.
Pregnancy. An ovarian cyst normally develops in early pregnancy to help support the pregnancy until the placenta forms. Sometimes, the cyst stays on the ovary until later in the pregnancy and may need to be removed.
Severe pelvic infections. Infections can spread to the ovaries and fallopian tubes and cause cysts to form.
Paraovarian Cysts
A fluid-filled sac found in the fallopian tubes near your ovaries. It might also be called paratubal cyst or a hydatid cyst of Morgagni. These cysts usually don’t cause any symptoms and often aren’t discovered unless you have surgery or other problems.
SYMPTOMS: Pressure.
Abdominal pain that comes and goes.
Feeling of heaviness or fullness in the abdomen.
Constipation.
Frequent urination.
CAUSE: usually caused by developments from before you were born. In the very early stages of pregnancy, a baby has a structure called a Wolffian duct. These become the male sex organs. These change as a female grows to become the Mullerian duct.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):
A very common hormone problem for women of childbearing age. Women with PCOS may not ovulate, have high levels of androgens, and have many small cysts on the ovaries. PCOS can cause missed or irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, infertility, and weight gain.
SYMPTOMS: irregular periods or no periods at all.
difficulty getting pregnant (because of irregular ovulation or no ovulation)
excessive hair growth (hirsutism) – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks.
weight gain.
thinning hair and hair loss from the head.
oily skin or acne.
CAUSE: The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment along with weight loss may lower the risk of long-term complications such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease
Premature Ovarian Failure
AKA Primary ovarian insufficiency occurs when the ovaries stop functioning as they should before age 40. When this happens, your ovaries don’t produce typical amounts of the hormone estrogen or release eggs regularly. This condition is also called premature ovarian failure and often leads to infertility.
Primary ovarian insufficiency is sometimes confused with premature menopause, but these conditions aren’t the same. Women with primary ovarian insufficiency can have irregular or occasional periods for years and might even get pregnant. But women with premature menopause stop having periods and can’t become pregnant.
Restoring estrogen levels in women with primary ovarian insufficiency helps prevent some complications that occur as a result of low estrogen, such as osteoporosis.
SYMPTOMS: Irregular or skipped periods, which might be present for years or develop after a pregnancy or after stopping birth control pills
Difficulty getting pregnant
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Vaginal dryness
Dry eyes
Irritability or difficulty concentrating
Decreased sexual desire
CAUSE: Primary ovarian insufficiency may be caused by:
Chromosome changes. Some genetic disorders are associated with primary ovarian insufficiency. These include conditions in which you have one typical X chromosome and one altered X chromosome (mosaic Turner syndrome) and in which X chromosomes are fragile and break (fragile X syndrome).
Toxins. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are common causes of toxin-induced ovarian failure. These therapies can damage genetic material in cells. Other toxins such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, pesticides and viruses might hasten ovarian failure.
An immune system response to ovarian tissue (autoimmune disease). In this rare form, your immune system produces antibodies against your ovarian tissue, harming the egg-containing follicles and damaging the egg. What triggers the immune response is unclear, but exposure to a virus is one possibility.
Unknown factors. The cause of primary ovarian insufficiency is often unknown (idiopathic). Your health care provider might recommend further testing to find the cause, but in many cases, the cause remains unclear.
Ruptured Ovarian Cyst
A cyst that bursts open (ruptures) can cause severe pain and bleeding inside the pelvis. The larger the cyst, the greater the risk of rupture. Vigorous activity that affects the pelvis, such as vaginal sex, also increases the risk of rupture.
SYMPTOMS:
Sudden, sharp pain in the lower belly or back.
Vaginal spotting or bleeding.
Abdominal bloating.
*Not all women feel a ruptured ovarian cyst. Most do feel pain at the time of rupture and then some discomfort for a few days afterward.
CAUSE: history of ovarian cysts or ruptured ovarian cysts. Cysts can rupture after strenuous exercise and after sexual intercourse. Larger cysts may burst more easily.
