Shoulder Difficulty
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Transcript Shoulder Difficulty
Max Brinsmead PhD FRANZCOG
July 2010
The common causes are…
Pregnancy-related
○ Successful but threatening to miscarry
○ Unsuccessful & aborting
○ Retained products of conception
- After normal pregnancy or miscarriage
○ Ectopic
Cervical Bleeding
Benign
Ectropion, Cervicitis or Polyp
Cancer of the cervix
Bleeding from the uterine cavity
Benign
Fibroids and Polyps
Cancer
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
But also keep in mind…
Hormones that have been given
○ Depoprovera (or DMP or DMPA)
○ Oral contraceptives (COC)
○ Other
Bleeding disorders
○ Rare
○ Usually associated with other bleeding or
bruising
When a patient complains about abnormal
vaginal bleeding...
First determine if she has:
○ Regular but heavy or prolonged periods
This is called menorrhagia
It is a common manifestation of fibroids
Rarely due to a bleeding disorder
○ Regular periods with bleeding at other times
If the bleeding is postcoital it should be regarded as
cancer of the cervix until proven otherwise
○ Irregular bleeding
This may be dysfunctional uterine bleeding but this
diagnosis is usually only made when other causes
are excluded
And always exclude pregnancy
Best done by pregnancy test
Consider your patient’s age…
If the patient is young (<35 years)
○ Cancer is uncommon
If the patient is very young & never
sexually active
○ Pregnancy, STD and Ca cervix never occurs
○ But dysfunctional uterine bleeding is not
uncommon
If the patient is >40 years
○ Cancer from within the uterine cavity can only
be excluded by endometrial biopsy or curette
○ But dysfunctional bleeding is not uncommon
You must always examine…
Look for signs of anaemia
Examine the abdomen to see if there is a
uterus or other mass arising out of the
pelvis
Pass a speculum and decide if the
bleeding is coming from or through the
cervix
Examine the pelvis bimanually to see if
the uterus is enlarged
○ (And if the cervix feels normal if it looked
abnormal)
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB)
Often a history of missed periods or
irregular cycles
May be associated with obesity and
hirsutism (PCO Disorder)
Bleeding is usually painless unless there is
clot colic
Bleeding can be very heavy or quite
prolonged
There is a normal cervix and the uterus is
not enlarged
Management of Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
Antibiotics have no place nor role
Bleeding from an abnormal cervix is rarely
a life-threatening emergency but it requires
referral for further testing and treatment
Transfusion should be reserved for those
with severe anaemia and in whom you
cannot immediately control the bleeding
Uterine bleeding after the age of 40
requires referral for D&C
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding can be
treated with Pills
Management of Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding
Bleeding can be controlled with Norethisterone
(5 mg tablets)
Give 2 tablets every 2 – 3 hours until the
bleeding slows or stops
Then 5 mg BD for 10 – 14 days
The patient can then expect a “normal
period” a few days after stopping the pills
Give COC in the next cycle
or Norethisterone 5 mg BD from day 10 –
25 of each cycle for 4 – 6 months
Give iron & folate to treat anaemia
Emergency treatment of any Endometrial
Bleeding
When the blood is coming through the
cervix
Even if the patient is >40 years
Or if the uterus is enlarged by
adenomyosis or fibroids
Or the patient has a bleeding disorder
You can try Norethisterone 10 mg every
2 – 3 hours
But refer also for further Ix and Rx
Management of Hormone-related PV
bleeding
Irregular PV bleeding with Depoprovera or
COC is secondary to their effect on the
endometrium
But make sure that the cervix is normal
Then try Norethisterone as per DUB
regimen
Or give Premarin 1.25 mg 8 hourly
Or any COC one tablet 6 hourly
Or just give another injection of Depoprovera