Medical Management of Endometriosis in Adolescents

In: Endometriosis in Adolescents · 2020 · pp. 643–661 · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52984-0_39 · W3103808326
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Adolescent endometriosis management aims for pain control and hormonal suppression, often involving surgery followed by first-line hormonal suppressive therapy.

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This paper reviews the medical management of endometriosis in adolescents, describing common diagnostic and treatment pathways such as diagnostic laparoscopy, conservative lesion surgery, and subsequent hormonal suppressive therapy aimed at pain control. It outlines how contemporary management has evolved and emphasizes that no single best medical therapy exists, with multiple modalities often required. The main limitation is that the article is an overview that relies on cited guidelines and heterogeneous evidence rather than presenting new adolescent patient outcomes or a systematic meta-analysis. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically the framework for medical management of endometriosis in adolescents.

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Abstract

Endometriosis in adolescents, like in adults, is considered a chronic disease without a cure. It is also considered a progressive disease which can continue to advance if left untreated (Doyle et al., J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 22:257–263, 2009). Medical management of endometriosis has evolved throughout the ages from questionable oral concoctions to our modern treatment options. The goals of contemporary treatment include adequate pain control and hormonal suppression (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Obstet Gynecol 132:e249–e258, 2018). Diagnostic laparoscopy is commonly utilized in the evaluation of suspected endometriosis. At the time of initial laparoscopy, conservative surgical therapy with resection, coagulation, or ablation of endometriotic lesions is recommended (Laufer et al., J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 16:S3–11, 2003). Following surgery, hormonal suppressive therapy is the first-line therapy for adolescents which can be initiated post-operatively or continued if previously started in cases of suspected endometriosis (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Obstet Gynecol 132:e249–e258, 2018). There is no single best therapy for the medical management of endometriosis, and multiple treatment modalities are usually necessary. Access this chapter Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Similar content being viewed by others Abbreviations - ACOG: - American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists - AI: - Aromatase inhibitors - BMD: - Bone mineral density - CEE: - Conjugated equine estrogen - CHT: - Combination hormonal therapy - COC: - Combined oral contraceptive - DEXA: - Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry - DMPA: - Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate - ENG: - Etonogestrel - FDA: - Food and Drug Administration - FSH: - Follicle-stimulating hormone - GnRH: - Gonadotropin-releasing hormone - LH: - Luteinizing hormone - LNG-IUD: - Levonorgestrel-releasing IUD - MPA: - Medroxyprogesterone acetate - NA: - Norethindrone acetate - NSAIDs: - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - SERM: - Selective estrogen receptor modulators - SPRM: - Selective progesterone receptor modulators - TENS: - Transcutaneous electrical stimulation - WHO: - World Health Organization

References

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Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Editor information Editors and Affiliations Rights and permissions Copyright information © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this chapter Cite this chapter Perez-Milicua, G. (2020). Medical Management of Endometriosis in Adolescents. In: Nezhat, C.H. (eds) Endometriosis in Adolescents. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52984-0_39 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52984-0_39 Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52983-3 Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52984-0 eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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