Women's Health Flashcards
Define menopause
Transition when ovaries stop releasing eggs, menstrual activity decreases and eventually ceases. Generally defined as 1 year without menstruation.
Why would women with menopause experience dypareunia?
Vaginal walls become less elastic, thinner, and shorter. Also, secretions decrease and change consistency.
For women, decrease in pelvic muscle tone can cause what?
Increase risk of prolapse: bladder, vaginal, and uterus
Increase risk of stress incontinence.
Define endometriosis
Endometrial tissue becomes implanted outside the uterus.
What is the pathogenesis of endometriosis?
Cause is unknown. Most common theory: menstrual blood containing endometrial cells is retrogradely flushed back through fallopian tubes into pelvic cavity.
What are the key clinical signs of endometriosis?
- Dysmenorrhea
- Dyspareunia
- Infertility
What are your treatment options for Endometriosis?
There is no cure: medical goal is pain relief and preservation of fertility.
Pregnancy and menopause stop continued development but won’t stop current implants.
Define endometrial cancer
Cancer of the uterine lining (endometrium)
Name the risk factors for endometrial cancer.
- Increasing age >60 y.o.
- Obesity
- Increased levels of estrogen
* * 4. Inactivity! (women who exercise are less likley to develop than women who do not exercise)
Define the clinical presentation for endometrial cancer
- Abnormal bleeding: Vaginal bleeding 1 yr after menopause
2. Abdominal/ LE edema (lymphatic metastases)
Define Cervical cancer
Cancer that forms in the cervix
What is the primary cause of cervical cancer?
HPV (human papilloma virus)
How does HPV affect cervical cancer?
HPV essentially turns off cells’ tumor-suppressing genes, allowing abnormal changes in cervical epithelium
Describe the early stages and advanced stages of cervical cancer.
Early stages: Asymptomatic
Advanced stages: abnormal vaginal bleeding, bowel/ bladder problems
Define ovarian cancer
Malignant neoplasm located on the ovaries