Dysmenorrhea and endometriosis in teenage girls (review)

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.