Dysmenorrhea and endometriosis in teenage girls (review)

A. L. Unanyan, L.G. Pivazyan, Dzhulietta S. Avetisyan, J.S. Avetisyan, A.A. Siordiya, А.И. Ищенко, A.I. Ishchenko
In: V.F.Snegirev Archives of Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2021 · vol. 8(3) , pp. 133–138 · doi:10.17816/2313-8726-2021-8-3-133-138 · W3203344268
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Most adolescents with menstrual discomfort have primary dysmenorrhea, but persistent or treatment-resistant cases in teens may indicate endometriosis, requiring further investigation and management focused on symptom relief, disease suppression, and fertility preservation.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-10 ⓘ

This 2021 narrative review examined dysmenorrhea in teenage girls, focusing on distinguishing primary from secondary dysmenorrhea and summarizing diagnostic and management approaches, including when to use pelvic ultrasonography. It reports that most adolescents have primary dysmenorrhea driven by cyclic prostaglandin/leukotriene changes and that first-line symptomatic treatment with NSAIDs (often started 1–2 days before menses) is effective, with hormonal options considered when NSAIDs fail. The review states that if clinically pronounced dysmenorrhea persists without response to hormonal drugs and NSAIDs and no other cause is found on history, exam, and ultrasound, endometriosis is the main suspected cause of secondary dysmenorrhea, and it summarizes endometriosis theories and treatment goals in adolescents (symptom relief, suppression of progression, fertility protection), while noting limitations such as uncertain long-term effects of some therapies in teens (e.g., bone-mineral outcomes with GnRH agonists) and the need for ongoing monitoring. Relevance to endometriosis: the paper is centrally about endometriosis in teenage girls as the principal cause of secondary dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain when initial dysmenorrhea treatments do not work, with dedicated sections on diagnosis, pathogenesis, and adolescent treatment strategies.

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Abstract

Most adolescents experience discomfort during menstruation. Usually, girls are diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea in the early reproductive period and respond well to symptomatic treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or hormonal drugs. If first-line therapy does not improve the symptoms of dysmenorrhea, transabdominal ultrasonography is indicated. Most often, these patients are diagnosed with endometriosis, which is the main cause of secondary dysmenorrhea in adolescents. Endometriosis should be assumed in patients with persistent, clinically pronounced dysmenorrhea that does not respond to treatment with hormonal drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, especially if no other cause of chronic pelvic pain or secondary dysmenorrhea is detected on the basis of history, physical examination, and ultrasonography of pelvic organs. The aim of the therapy is to relieve symptoms, suppress disease progression, and protect future fertility.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrhea

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (25)

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last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
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