Martha Hickey

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of heavy menstrual bleeding among Australian women from young adulthood to midlife (22-48 years) and investigate the characteristics of women who experience this condition; to investigate the relations…

BACKGROUND: Endometrioma are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. Laparoscopic management of endometriomas is associated with shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, and decreased hospital costs compared with laparotomy. The previous ve…

OBJECTIVE: Risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (RRBSO) substantially reduces ovarian cancer risk in women with pathogenic gene variants and is generally recommended by age 34-45 years. Natural menopause is a vulnerable period for …

Hickey, Martha BA (Hons), MSc, MBChB, FRCOG, FRANZCOG, MD; Richards, Anthony M. MBBS, MRMed, MBA, RANZCOG, CGO Author Information

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a significant social and public health issue for menstruating women. Development of targeted treatments has been limited by poor understanding of local mechanisms underlying HMB. We aimed to determine how g…

STUDY QUESTION: Does the changing molecular profile of the endometrium during menstruation correlate with the histological profile of menstruation. SUMMARY ANSWER: We identified several genes not previously associated with menstruation; on …

ObjectiveTo determine if health coaching (HC) decreases the incidence of depression, reduces the severity of symptoms, and increases quality of life during the menopausal transition (MT).Research design and methodsParallel, single-blinded, …

BackgroundUterine fibroids cause heavy prolonged bleeding, pain, pressure symptoms and subfertility. The traditional method of treatment has been surgery as medical therapies have not proven effective. Uterine artery embolization has been r…

Despite the prevalence of uterine fibroids (Fs), few studies have investigated the links between clinical features and the cellular or molecular mechanisms that drive F growth and development. Such knowledge will ultimately help to differen…

Erratic, "unscheduled", vaginal bleeding continues to be the greatest disadvantage associated with widespread use of long-acting, progestogen-only methods of contraception. As a consequence, it is also the main reason for premature disconti…

Continuous combined hormone therapy (HT) is effective for menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness but commonly leads to unscheduled vaginal bleeding and spotting. Unscheduled bleeding is disliked by women and may lead to invasive …

BACKGROUND: Irregular uterine bleeding is the major side effect of, and cause for, discontinuation of long-term progestin-only contraceptives (LTPOCs). The endometria of LTPOC-treated women display abnormally enlarged, fragile blood vessels…

Whilst use of estrogen-containing hormone therapy (HT) has declined in recent years, it is still used by a significant minority of women and remains the most effective way of treating menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness. Unsch…

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common cancer in women in developed countries, and 12% of breast cancer occurs in women 20-34 years. Survival from breast cancer has significantly improved, and the potential late effects of treatment and…

BACKGROUND: Bilateral oophorectomy is commonly performed at the time of hysterectomy for benign disease. Indications for oophorectomy vary, but in most cases relatively little high-quality information is available to inform the surgeon or p…

Hormone therapy is highly effective for the treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness, but commonly leads to unscheduled vaginal bleeding and spotting. This frequently leads to invasive investigations to exclude underly…

BACKGROUND: Endometriomata are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. The surgical management of these blood filled cysts is controversial. The laparoscopic approach to the management of endometriomata is favoured over a laparotomy approa…

BACKGROUND: Abnormal bleeding is common in hormone therapy (HT) users. We aimed to determine how HT alters endometrial blood vessels and stromal factors known to regulate vascular growth and integrity. METHODS: Prospective observational stu…

Abnormal bleeding is a common reason for discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy. There is little consensus regarding when to investigate abnormal bleeding, what to do about persistent bleeding or when reinvestigation is indicated. T…

CONTEXT: Irregular bleeding is common in users of combined hormone therapy (HT) and often leads to invasive and expensive investigations to exclude underlying pathology. The mechanisms of HT-related bleeding are poorly understood. Endometri…

BACKGROUND: Endometriomata are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. The surgical management of these blood filled cysts is controversial. The laparoscopic approach to the management of endometriomata is favoured for as it offers the adv…