Child-Young Adult Gynecology

The MITERA Children’s Hospital Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Department offers medical services to young girls, from neonates to late adolescents (19 years of age according to the World Health Organization).

The Department

It performs clinical evaluation of all neonates with ambiguous genitalia / intersex disorders during the neonatal period, as well as cases of mucocolpos, labial adhesions and vulvovaginitis. In cases of vulvovaginitis, which are very common during the neonatal and prepubertal period, specimens are collected by a specialist, to determine vaginal microbiota. Additionally, the vagina is meticulously examined for foreign bodies, which can be the cause of recurrent infections in this age group.

Precocious puberty and its variations are investigated in detail, in partnership with other departments within MITERA Children’s Hospital. Menarche and the menstrual cycles that follow signal the transition from childhood to puberty and present many stressful changes for adolescent girls and their families.

The Department performs detailed check-ups and offers guidance to distinguish between normal and pathological conditions that may present problems in the future. Special attention is paid to menstrual disorders (amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, hypermenorrhea, polymenorrhea and dysmenorrhea). Abnormal uterine bleeding is the most urgent pathology during adolescence, due to possible heavy blood loss and subsequent anemia, which may even require hospitalization.

Special protocols are followed to diagnose and manage congenital anomalies of the female reproductive tract, gonadal dysgenesis and pelvic tumors during adolescence. The Department also treats hypertrophic or asymmetric labia minora, vulvar or vaginal infections and abscesses, and lichen sclerosus. Breast asymmetry, palpable masses, nipple discharge and mastodynia are common problems in adolescents, who seek advice and treatment through the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Department.

Contraception counseling is also available for adolescent girls. The pros and cons of each contraceptive method, including emergency contraception, are thoroughly explained. Furthermore, it offers advice on how to check each method so as to safeguard the adolescent’s health.