womens health Flashcards
What are the consequences of menstrual cycle disorders?
Negative impact on QOL, reproductive health, long term detrimental health effects (increased risk of osteoporosis with amenorrhea, risk of diabetes with PCOS)
what are the Menstrual Cycle Disorders?
- Amenorrhea
- menorrhagia
- dysmenorrhea
- premenstrual syndrome
- polycystic ovary syndrome
what is Amenorrhea?
No menstrual bleeding in a 90 day period
what are the types of amernorrhea?
- Types
- Primary/ functional
- Absence of menses by age 15 in females who never menstruated
- Rare
- Secondary
- Absence of menses for 3 cycles in a previously menstruating female
- Rare, but more common than primary
- More frequent in <25 yo with history of menstrual irregularities, competitive athletics or massive weight loss
- Primary/ functional
what is the etiology of amenorrhea?
- Anatomical causes: Pregnancy, uterine structural abnormalities
- Endocrine disturbances leading to chronic anovulation (egg does not release or ovulate)
- Ovarian insufficiency/ failure
what is the treatment for amenorrhea?
- Identify underlying cause
- Non-pharmacological: Gain weight/ reduction of exercise intensity/ Stress management
- Pharmacological: Combined oral contraceptive (COC), Estrogen, Progestin, Copper IUD
what is Menorrhagia?
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Menstrual blood loss >80ml per cycle OR Bleeding >7d per cycle
what is the pathophysiology of Menorrhagia?
Uterine-related factors
- Fibroids (benign tumors growing in or on uterine wall)
- Adenomyosis (endometrial tissue grows into muscular wall of uterus)
- Endometrial polyps
- Gynecologic cancers
- Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis
Coagulopathy factors
- Cirrhosis
- von Williebrand disease (deficiency of pro-von Willebrand factor)
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (abnormal decrease in platelets)
how to treat Menorrhagia?
- Contraception: COC/ Progestin IUD/ Progestin only oral contraceptive/ Progestin injection
- Non-contraceptive: NSAIDs during menses/ Tranexamic acid (clots blood) during menses/ Cyclic progesterone
- Endometrial ablation: Destroy endometrial lining of uterus
- Hysterectomy: Remove entire uterus
what is Dysmenorrhea?
- Crampy pelvic pain with or just before menses
- Primary and secondary
how does Dysmenorrhea happen?
- For primary: Release of prostaglandins and leukotrienes —> Vasoconstriction —> Cramps
- For secondary: Endometriosis (tissue similar to lining of uterus (endometrium) grows outside uterus)
how to treat Dysmenorrhea?
- Nonpharacological: Topical heat therapy, exercise, acupuncture, low-fat veg diet
- Pharmacological:
- First line: NSAIDS
- Second line: COC
- Third line: Progestin injections/ IUD (BUT can cause render amenorrhea 😖)
what is Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
- Cyclic pattern of symptoms occurring 5 days before menses that resolve at onset of menses
- Does not impair daily activities
what are the symptoms for Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
- Somatic (physical): Bloating, headache, weight gain, fatigue, dizziness/ nausea, appetite changes
- Affective (mood): Anxiety/ depression, angry outburst, social withdrawal, forgetfulness, tearful, restlessness
- Severe: Premenstrual dysophoric disorder (PMDD) —> Psychiatric condition
how to treat Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- COC more for physical, not so much for mood symptoms
what is Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
- Ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens
- Small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) form in ovaries
what is the clinical presentation of Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
- Menstrual irregularities
- Androgen excess
- Acne/ Hirustism/ Obesity
- Metabolic disorders/ Insulin resistance —> DM, CVS disease
how to treat Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
- COC (can consider anti-androgenic progestin if acne/ hirsutism)
- Metformin
What is menopause?
Permanent cessation of menses following the loss of ovarian follicular activity
how does menopause happen?
- Natural
- Induced: Removal of both ovaries or iatrogenic (illness due to treatment) ablation of ovarian function: Chemotherapy, pelvic radiation
whats the Clinical presentation for menopause?
note: DUE TO DECREASED ESTROGEN LEVELS
- **Vasomotor symptoms: Several times a day due to thermoregulatory dysfunction which is triggered by a decreased estrogen, starting in the hypothalamus
- Intense feeling of heat on face
- Rapid or irregular heart rate
- Flushing
- Perspiration, Cold sweats
- Sleep disturbances
- Feeling of anxiety
- Genitourinary syndrome
- Changes to labia, clitoris, vestibule, vagina, urethra, bladder due to decreased estrogen
- Genital dryness
- Burning/ irritation/ pain
- Sexual symptoms of lubrication difficulty
- Impaired sexual function/ libido/ painful intercourse
- Urinary urgency
- Dysuria (painful urination)
- Recurrent UTI
- Psychological/ Cognitive
- Likely multi-factorial (stress/ hormonal fluctuations)
- Depression/ anxiety
- Poor concentration/ memory
- Mood swings
- Bone fragility
- Decreased estrogen —> More bone loss
- Increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures
- Increased joint pain
whats the Non-pharmacology for menopause?
- For mild vasomotor symptoms
- Layered clothing that can be removed or added as necessary to adapt to temp fluctuations
- Lower room temp
- Less spicy food/ caffeine/ hot drinks
- More exercise
- Dietary supplements (but conflicting results)
- Isoflavones (phytoestrogen): Soybean, Leumes (lentils, chick pea)
- Black cohost (herb): Serotonergic (serotonin) activity at hypothalamus
- For mild vulvovaginal symptoms
- Nonhormonal vaginal lubricants/ moisturizers
whats the pharma for menopause?
- Menopausal hormone therapy
- antidepressants
- gabapentin
- tibolone
what is Menopausal hormone therapy for in menopause?
Reserved for moderate/ severe symptoms or insuff response to nonpharma
- Dont use this solely for
- Treatment of low libido
- CVD prevention
- Depression/ anxiety/ cognitive/ memory issues
- Itchy skin/ hair loss
- Treatment of osteoporosis
is Menopausal hormone therapy the gold standard for menopause?
yes!!! GOLD
how does Menopausal hormone therapy work for menopause?
Increases Estrogen
what are the types of Menopausal hormone therapy for menopause?
- Estrogen only (unopposed estrogen)
- Estrogen + Progestin
- Progestin addition- If have intact uterus: To protect endometrium from overgrowth and reduce risk of endometrial cancer
- May improve vasomotor symptoms (VMS)
- Dydrogesterone, norethisterone, medroxyprogesterone, micronized progesterone, norgestrel, levonorgestrel, gestodene, desogestrel, norgestimate
what are the sub types of Estrogen + Progestin under Menopausal hormone therapy for menopause?
- Continuous-combined
- Estrogen and progestin daily
- No withdrawal bleeding although chance of breakthrough bleeding initially
- After several months: Possible amenorrhea
- Continuous-cyclic
- Progestin added on either 1st or 15th of month, for 10-15 days
- Withdrawal bleeding when progestin stopped
- Regulate menses, which allows for predictable bleeding
how does menopausal hormone therapy compare with coc in terms of Physiologic goal?
mht: Replace/ supplement endogenous estrogen to alleviate symptoms and risks of lower estrogen production
coc: Suppress hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis to avoid ovulation
how does menopausal hormone therapy compare with coc in terms of Amount of ethinyl-estradiol equivalents?
mht: 10-15mcg
coc: 20-50mcg
how does menopausal hormone therapy compare with coc in terms of Common formulations of estrogen used?
mht:
- 17 beta estradiol
- Conjugated equine estrogens (CEE)
coc:
- Ethinylestradiol
- Estradiol
why are systemic oral tablets for menopausal hormone therapy good and yet bad?
good: Cheaper
BAD:
- Higher dose required —> Higher risk of side effects
- Potential for missed dose —> Irregular bleeding
why are Systemic Topicals (Patches, Gels) for menopausal hormone therapy good and yet bad?
good:
- Lower systemic dose than oral
- Convi
- Continuous estrogen release
BAD:
- Expensive
- Skin irritation (rotating sites helps)
- Gel has more variability in absorption
why are Local vaginal (Pessary, Creams) for menopausal hormone therapy good and yet bad?
good:
- Lowest estrogen dose —> No need concomitant progestin
- Continuous estrogen release
BAD:
- Inconvi/ uncomfortable
- Vaginal discharge
- Only for localised urogenital atrophy
what are the risks associated with mht?
- Breast cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Venous thromboembolism
how to monitor if use mht?
- 2-3 months of use before improvement with symptoms
- Continue MHT if there is a need
- Upon initiation
- Annual mammography
- Endometrial surveillance
- Unopposed estrogen: Vaginal bleeding
- Continuous-cyclic: Bleeding occurs when progestin is still on
- Continuous-combined: Prolonged bleeding, heavier than normal, frequent, persists after >10 months of usage
- Upon discontinuation
- 50% chance of symptoms returning
what are the diff types of antidepressants one can use for menopause?
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- Venlafaxine
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Paroxetine
how can Gabapentin help with menopause?
Helps with night sweating and sleep disturbances
what is tibolone?
Synthetic steroid with estrogenic, progestogenic, androgenic effects
costly
how can tibolone help with menopause?
- Improves mood, libido, menopause symptoms, vaginal atrophy (less than estrogen)
- Protects against bone loss
who is tibolone for?
Only for postmenopausal women more or equal to 12 months since last natural period
what risks is tibolone associated with?
Risk of stroke, breast CA recurrence, endometrial cancer
best treatment for severe vasomotor symptoms of menopause
MHT
what is Hypertension in Pregnancy?
One of the most common causes of mortality in pregnancy
- Based upon >1 measurement min 4h apart
- SBP >140mmHg or DBP >90mmHg
- Severe Hypertension, based upon 2 measurements
- SBP >160mmHg and/or DBP >110mmHg
what are the Categories for htn in preggos?
- Chronic Hypertension
- Before 20 weeks gestation: Pre-existing or new onset hypertension
- No proteinuria (albuminuria: elevated levels of proteins)
- Gestational Hypertension
- After 20 weeks of gestation: New onset hypertension
- No proteinuria
- Pre-eclampsia
- After 20 weeks of gestation: New onset hypertension AND new onset of (either one?????)
- Proteinuria
-
24h urinary protein (UTP) >300mg
- normal is <150mg/day
- Dipstick protein >2
- Urine protein: Creatinine ratio (uPCR) >0.3mg/dL
-
24h urinary protein (UTP) >300mg
- Signs of end-organ dysfunction
- Platelet count <100 —> Clotting factors so bleeding complications
- Liver Function Tests >2x ULN
- Doubling of SCr in absence of other renal disease
- Pulmonary edema (accumulation of fluids in lungs) —> SOB
- Neurological complications
- Uteroplacental dysfunction
- Proteinuria
- After 20 weeks of gestation: New onset hypertension AND new onset of (either one?????)
- Chronic Hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia
- Superimposed: Secondary infection that occurs during an existing infection, or immediately following a previous infection.
- Before 20 weeks gestation: New onset proteinuria
- No proteinuria previously
what is Eclampsia?
MEDICAL EMERGENCY: Risk for both maternal and fetal
- Sudden onset of seizures, which can be tonic-clonic (involve whole body), focal (affect specific part) or multifocal superimposed on pre-eclampsia
- Pre-eclampsia can progress rapidly to eclampsia
what are the symptoms of eclampsia?
- N/v
- Palpitation
- Flushing
- Headache
- Tremor
how to prevent pre-eclampsia?
- Low dose 100mg or more aspirin
- Start after 12 weeks, ideally before 16 weeks, continue till delivery
- Reco for high risk patients: Hypertension on prev preggo, multifetal gestation, autoimmune disease, DM, CKD
what is the Pharmacology for hypertension in preggos?
- Methyldopa
- Labetalol
- Calcium channel blocker: Nifedipine ER
- Hydrochlorothiazide
- Hydralazine
why does methyldopa suck in treating htn in preggos?
- Low potency
- Increase ADR (sedation, dizziness)
which are the most commonly used drugs for htn in preggos?
- Labetalol
- Preferred over other beta blockers because less ADR on uteroplacental blood flow and fetal growth
- Bronchoconstrictive effects, bradycardia
- Calcium channel blocker: Nifedipine ER
- Monitor for pedal edema (fluid gathers in feet), flushing, headaches
whats the 2nd or 3rd line drug for htn in preggos?
Hydrochlorothiazide
but note Potential interference with normal blood volume expansion during preggo