WOMENS HEALTH Flashcards
Sub-fertility
What and management
After ONE Year after trying activity to get pregnant (2-3 times weekly)
Always take history Do 21 day progesterone (or cycle -7) 1st line = life style 2nd = clomifene citrate If hyperprocalin - halt medications, start brominecriptine
Factors = sub fertility
Factors impacting fertility - Alcohol (No more than 1 to 2 units per week), Smoking (reduces fertility), Obesity (over 30 BMI - take longer to conceive), Low body weight (below 19 BMI), tight underwear (Men), Occupation, Amount of sex (should be having every 2-3 days)
Menopause contraception
12 months after the last period in women > 50 years
24 months after the last period in women < 50 years
Offer IUD
Menopause symtom management
Lifestyle modifications - increase exercise, sleep hygiene,
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - CI in breast cancer, oestrogen senstivie cancer, vagnal bledding,endometrial hyperplasia
Give combined oestrogren and progesterone (If the woman has a uterus then it is important not to give unopposed oestrogens as this will increase her risk of endometrial cancer - if not transdermal can give in MIUD)
Does not have a uterus then oestrogen alone can be given either orally or in a transdermal patch
Risks of HRT
Venous thromboembolism: a slight increase in risk with all forms of oral HRT. No increased risk with transdermal HRT.
Stroke: slightly increased risk with oral oestrogen HRT.
Coronary heart disease: combined HRT may be associated with a slight increase in risk.
Breast cancer: there is an increased risk with all combined HRT although the risk of dying from breast cancer is not raised.Â
Ovarian cancer: increased risk with all HRT.
Urge incontinence
Presentation and management
Âinvoluntary urine leakage accompanied by or immediately preceded by urgency - There are often trigger factors such as hearing running water, cold weather, etc. There are typically large volumes of leakage compared to stress incontinence.
Treat - bladder retraining (lasts for a minimum of 6 weeks, the idea is to gradually increase the intervals between voiding)
- bladder stabilising drugs: antimuscarinics are first-line. oxybutynin (immediate release), tolterodine (immediate release) or darifenacin (once daily preparation).
- mirabegron (a beta-3 agonist) may be useful if there is concern about
stress incontinence
Presentation and management
involuntary leakage of urine during increased intra-abdominal pressure (ie on exertion) - typical after child birth due to detrusor muscle overactivity
RF - childbirth, older age,obesity, white, dementia,pelvic organ prolaspe
Presents with -Involuntary urine leakage on effort, exertion, sneezing, or coughing, vaginal/prolapse,Âusually with frequency and nocturia, in the absence of urinary tract infection or any other obvious pathology.
Investigations
-full exam and history, Bladder diary, Urodynamic studies.
Manage
Lifestyle alterations (ie decrease fluid intake, weight loss)
pelvic floor muscle training: NICE recommend at least 8 contractions performed 3 times per day for a minimum of 3 months
surgical procedures: e.g. bulking and colpolsuspention
Miscarriage
first trimester the most common cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality (50-60%) (16, 45X)
2nd trimester = incompetence cervix
Other causes are fetal abnormalities or uterine structure abnormalities
Management of miscarriages
Expectant (No pain, less than 35mm(
NO HEART Beat
Medical (Misoprostol)
Surgical (Dilation and curettage (D&C)
RF’s
- Increased maternal age, alcohol, drug use, obesity, high caffeine,
PID management
History, exam - think if acutely unwell ABCDE and Sepsis SIX
White cell count (blood)
TVUS
Pelvic CT/MRIÂ
Laparoscopy
Empirical antibiotics should be started as soon as possible.
- 1st line would be ceftriaxone and doxycylcine (second
levofloxacin)
PID risk factors
RF:Risk factors for developing PID include:-Young age (younger than 25 years). Early age of first coitus. Multiple sexual partners. Recent new partner (within the previous 3 months). History of STI in the woman or her partner
Smears
when ref to colospoy
HPV+ and abnormal smear = colopscopy
High grade dyskaryosis (moderate, severe dyskaryosis or worse) -> ref straight to colposcopy (regardless of HPV)
or 3x inadequate
Fibroid management
Manage
Mirena
tranexamic acid, combined oral contraceptive pill etc
GnRH agonists may reduce the size of the fibroid but are typically short-term
surgery - myomectomy (fertility ) hysteroscopic endometrial ablation, hysterectomy
PCOS management
nvestigations USS FSH, LH, prolactin, TSH, and testosterone are useful investigations: raised LH:FSH ratio is a 'classical' feature Glucose intolerance Manage weight COCP Fertility (think metformin or clomifene)
Endometrious management
Investigation Pregnancy test FBC (anemia) Clotting - von Willebrand disease (vWd) includes von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag), ristocetin cofactor activity (vWF:RCoF), and factor VIII activity. Imaging USS May need endometrial biopsy Manage Pain if any COCP Transamic acid Surgical abaltion Full hysterectomy
Breast cancer presentation
The typical presentation is a painless breast mass, with/without:
Discharge
Nipple changes
Skin tethering or dimpling
Tethering to underlying tissues, e.g. muscle
Ulceration (late sign)
Ductal carcinoma in situ
Premenopausal and post-menopausal women. Usually patients are 40-60 years of age. May be extensive, and associated with fibrosis, in which case it will be a large palpable mass
Defined as a cancer that has not spread beyond the basement membrane of the ducts
May present as Paget’s Disease of the nipple (rare)
Have a risk of 30-50% of becoming invasive
Which breast cancer?
Usually occur in pre-menopausal women
Occurs in the lobules and don’t affect the ducts
Very difficult to detect – as it does not present as a lump, or cause many other signs.
Often multifocal and bilateral
No specific features on mammography
Lobular carcinoma in situ
Mucinous carcinoma characteristics
Account for 2-3% of invasive carcinomas
Their borders are not well defined, and they do not cause inversion of the nipple, or tethering of the skin.
Better prognosis than invasive ductal or lobular carcinomas
Breast cancer screening
Women in England who are aged from 50 to their 71st birthday and registered with a GP are automatically invited for screening every 3 years. (mammogram)
You may be eligible for breast cancer screening before the age of 50 if you have a very high risk of developing breast cancer.
Women aged over 70 years are invited to make their own appointments every 3 years.
If you have been found to have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, you may have yearly MRI scans or mammograms, depending on your age and your specific level of risk.
if a faulty gene (for example BRCA1 or BRCA2) has been identified in the family, direct referral to a specialist genetics service should be offered.
What is the triple approach to assessment of abnormalities that are found on screening?
exam, imaging and histology
Mammography involves compression views of the breast across two views (oblique and craniocaudal), allowing for the detection mass lesions or microcalcifications.
Ultrasound scanning is more useful in women <35 years and in men, due to the density of the breast tissue in identifying anomalies. This form of imaging is also routinely used during core biopsies.
A biopsy is required of any suspicious mass or lesion presenting to the clinic, most commonly obtained via core biopsy.
Four biopsy procedures
fine needle aspiration (FNA), which uses a very small needle to extract fluid or cells from the abnormal area.
core needle (CN) which uses a large hollow needle to remove one sample of breast tissue per insertion.
vacuum-assisted device (VAD) which uses a vacuum powered instrument to collect multiple tissue samples during one needle insertion.
wire localization, in which a guide wire is placed into the suspicious area to help the surgeon locate the lesion for surgical biopsy.
BRCA1
What is the mutation
What does this increase the risk of
Mutation on chromosome 17
Lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 75%
Lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is about 50%
Men with the gene also at increased risk
Also increased risk of bowel cancer, ovarian cancer (50% lifetime risk) and prostatic cancer (men)
BRCA2
What is the mutation
What does this increase the risk of
Mutation on chromosome 13
Lifetime risk of breast cancer 40-85%
Lifetime risk of ovarian cancer <25%
Lifetime risk of breast cancer for men is about 6%
HER2 mutation BC - targeted treatment
Has specific treatment in the form of the monoclonal antibody Trastuzumab (Herceptin). This will bind to the receptor, and cause the production of p27 within the cell, which reduces cell proliferation
As a result of this specific treatment, breast cancers are routinely tested for HER2/neu presence.