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Cervical agenesis is estimated to occur in 1 in 80,000 females. It is often associated with deformity of the vagina; one study found that 48% of patients with cervical agenesis had a normal, functional vagina, while the rest of the cases were accompanied by vaginal hypoplasia.
Vaginal hypoplasia is estimated to occur in 1 in 4,000–5,000 live female births. It is often unnoticed until adolescence when pain and a lack of menstrual flow indicates the condition.
Fraser syndrome is a disorder that affects the development of the child prior to birth. Infants born with Fraser syndrome often have eyes that are malformed and completely covered by skin. Also the child is born with fingers and toes that are fused together along with abnormalities within the urine tract. As this disorder relates to vaginal atresia, infants born with Fraser syndrome are also born with malformations in their genitals.
The prevalence of uterine malformation is estimated to be 6.7% in the general population, slightly higher (7.3%) in the infertility population, and significantly higher in a population of women with a history of recurrent miscarriages (16%).
Risk factors for developing a cystocele are:
- an occupation involving or history of heavy lifting
- pregnancy and childbirth
- chronic lung disease/smoking
- family history of cystocele
- exercising incorrectly
- ethnicity (risk is greater for Hispanic and whites)
- hypoestrogenism
- pelvic floor trauma
- connective tissue disorders
- spina bifida
- hysterectomy
- cancer treatment of pelvic organs* childbirth; correlates to the number of births
- forceps delivery
- age
- chronically high intra-abdominal pressures
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- constipation
- obesity
Connective tissue disorders predispose women to developing cystocele and other pelvic organ prolapse. The tensile strength of the vaginal wall decreases when the structure of the collagen fibers change and become weaker.
The prognosis for vaginal atresia is one that is complicated. There are variations in patients' anatomic findings as well as an absence in consistent surgical techniques which makes it difficult to give a prognosis for this condition. Along with other conditions that give rise to an abnormal perineum (i.e. ambiguous genitalia and other various abnormalities that range from cloaca to urogenital sinus), individuals with vaginal atresia often report reconstruction as an outcome of treatment. Due to this, it is difficult to compare outcomes between individuals with vaginal atresia.
In the United States, uterus didelphys is reported to occur in 0.1–0.5% of women. It is difficult to know the exact occurrence of this anomaly, as it may go undetected in the absence of medical and reproductive complications.
Most studies are based on populations of women who have experienced a pregnancy loss and thus do not address the issue of the prevalence in the general population. A screening study by Woelfer et al. of women without a history of reproductive problems found that about 3% of women had a uterine septation; the most common anomaly in their study was an arcuate uterus (5%), while 0.5% were found to have a bicornuate uterus. In contrast, in about 15% of patients with recurrent pregnancy loss anatomical problems are thought to be causative with the septate uterus as the most common finding.
Vaginal hypoplasia is the underdevelopment or incomplete development of the vagina. It is a birth defect or congenital abnormality of the female genitourinary system.
It is also known that disruption of the endocrine system by certain chemicals adversely affects the development of the reproductive system and can cause vaginal cancer. Many other reproductive diseases have also been link to exposure to synthetic and environmental chemicals. Common chemicals with known links to reproductive disorders include: lead, dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, styrene, toluene, BPA (Bisphenol A) and pesticides.
Examples of congenital abnormalities of the reproductive system include:
- Kallmann syndrome - Genetic disorder causing decreased functioning of the sex hormone-producing glands caused by a deficiency or both testes from the scrotum.
- Androgen insensitivity syndrome - A genetic disorder causing people who are genetically male (i.e. XY chromosome pair) to develop sexually as a female due to an inability to utilize androgen.
- Intersexuality - A person who has genitalia and/or other sexual traits which are not clearly male or female.
Imperforate hymen is the most common vaginal obstruction of congenital origin. Estimates of the frequency of imperforate hymen vary from 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 females.
A number of twin gestations have occurred where each uterus carried its pregnancy separately. A recent example occurred on February 26, 2009, when Sarah Reinfelder of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan delivered two healthy, although seven weeks premature, infants by cesarean section at Marquette General Hospital. It is possible that the deliveries occur at different times, thus the delivery interval could be days or even weeks.
A cystocele occurs when the muscles, fascia, tendons and connective tissues between a woman’s bladder and vagina weaken, or detach. The type of cystocele that can develop can be due to to three vaginal wall attachment failures. The midline defect, the paravaginal defect, and the transverse defect. The midline defect is a cystocele is caused by the overstretching of the vaginal wall. The paravaginal defect is the separation of the vaginal connective tissue at the arcus tendineus fascia pelvis. The transverse defect is when the pubocervical fascia becomes detached from the top (apex) of the vagina. There is some pelvic prolapse in 40-60% of women who have given birth. Muscle injuries have been identified in women with cystocele. These injuries are more likely to occur in women who have given birth than those who have not. These muscular injuries result in less support to the anterior vaginal wall.
Some women with connective tissue disorders are predisposed to developing anterior vaginal wall collapse. Up to one third of women with Marfan syndrome have a history of vaginal wall collapse. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in women is associated with a rate of 3 out of 4.
Cervical agenesis is a congenital disorder of the female genital system that manifests itself in the absence of a cervix, the connecting structure between the uterus and vagina. Milder forms of the condition, in which the cervix is present but deformed and nonfunctional, are known as cervical atresia or cervical dysgenesis.
A longitudinal vaginal septum develops during embryogenesis when there is an incomplete fusion of the lower parts of the two Müllerian ducts. As a result, there is a "double vagina". There may be associated duplications of the more cranial parts of the Müllerian derivatives, a double cervix, and either a uterine septum or uterus didelphys (double uterus).
The person with a longitudinal vaginal septum may be asymptomatic and not aware of the condition. If dyspareunia is a problem a simple resection of the septum could be performed.
WNT4 (found on the short arm (p) of chromosome 1) has been clearly implicated in the atypical version of this disorder. A genetic mutation causes a leucine to proline residue substitution at amino acid position 12. This occurrence reduces the intranuclear levels of β catenin. In addition, it removes the inhibition of steroidogenic enzymes like 3β-hydroxysteriod dehydrogenase and 17α-hydroxylase. Patients therefore have androgen excess. Furthermore, without WNT4, the Müllerian duct is either deformed or absent. Female reproductive organs, such as the cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and much of the vagina, are hence affected.
An association with a deletion mutation in the long arm (q) of chromosome 17 (17q12) has been reported. The gene LHX1 is located in this region and may be the cause of a number of these cases.
Müllerian agenesis or müllerian aplasia, Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome, or vaginal agenesis is a congenital malformation characterized by a failure of the Müllerian duct to develop, resulting in a missing uterus and variable degrees of vaginal hypoplasia of its upper portion. Müllerian agenesis (including absence of the uterus, cervix and/or vagina) is the cause in 15% of cases of primary amenorrhoea. Because most of the vagina does not develop from the Müllerian duct, instead developing from the urogenital sinus along with the bladder and urethra, it is present even when the Müllerian duct is completely absent.
Because ovaries do not develop from the Müllerian ducts, affected women might have normal secondary sexual characteristics but are infertile due to the lack of a functional uterus. However, motherhood is possible through use of gestational surrogates. Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) is hypothesized to be a result of autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity, which contributes to the complexity involved in identifying of the underlying mechanisms causing the condition. Because of the variance in inheritance, penetrance and expressivity patterns, MRKH is subdivided into two types: type 1, in which only the structures developing from the Müllerian duct are affected (the upper vagina, cervix, and uterus), and type 2, where the same structures are affected, but is characterized by the additional malformations of other body systems most often including the renal and skeletal systems. MRKH type 2 includes MURCS (Müllerian Renal Cervical Somite). The majority of MRKH syndrome cases are characterized as sporadic, but familial cases have provided evidence that, at least for some patients, MRKH is an inherited disorder. The underlying causes of MRKH syndrome is still being investigated, but several causative genes have been studied for their possible association with the syndrome. Most of these studies have served to rule-out genes as causative factors in MRKH, but thus far, only WNT4 has been associated with MRKH with hyperandrogenism.
The medical eponym honors August Franz Josef Karl Mayer (1787–1865), Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky (1804–1878), Hermann Küster (1879–1964), and Georges Andre Hauser (1921–2009).
A transverse septum can form during embryogenesis when the Müllerian ducts fuse improperly to the urogenital sinus. A complete transverse septum will block menstrual flow and is a cause of primary amenorrhea. The accumulation of menstrual debris behind the septum is termed cryptomenorrhea. Some transverse septa are incomplete and may lead to dyspareunia or obstruction in labour. A surgical incision will relieve the situation.
The condition may not be known to the affected individual and not result in any reproductive problems; thus normal pregnancies may occur. However, it is associated with a higher risk for miscarriage, premature birth, and malpresentation. According to the classical study by Buttram there is a 60% risk of a spontaneous abortion, this being more common in the second than in the first trimester. However, there is no agreement on this number and other studies show a lower risk. Woelfer found that the miscarriage risk is more pronounced in the first trimester.
The condition is also associated with abnormalities of the renal system. Further, skeletal abnormalities have been linked to the condition.
Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is the presence of Müllerian duct derivatives (fallopian tubes, uterus, and/or the upper part of the vagina) in what would be considered a genetically and otherwise physically normal male animal by typical human based standards. In humans, PMDS typically is due to an autosomal recessive congenital disorder and is considered by some to be a form of pseudohermaphroditism due to the presence of Müllerian derivatives.
Typical features include undescended testes (cryptorchidism) and the presence of a small, underdeveloped uterus in an XY infant or adult. This condition is usually caused by deficiency of fetal anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) effect due to mutations of the gene for AMH or the anti-Müllerian hormone receptor, but may also be as a result of insensitivity to AMH of the target organ.
A uterine malformation is a type of female genital malformation resulting from an abnormal development of the Müllerian duct(s) during embryogenesis. Symptoms range from amenorrhea, infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and pain, to normal functioning depending on the nature of the defect.
Cryptomenorrhea or cryptomenorrhoea, also known as hematocolpos, is a condition where menstruation occurs but is not visible due to an obstruction of the outflow tract. Specifically the endometrium is shed, but a congenital obstruction such as a vaginal septum or on part of the hymen retains the menstrual flow. A patient with cryptomenorrhea will appear to have amenorrhea but will experience cyclic menstrual pain. The condition is surgically correctable.
The patient usually presents at the age of puberty when the commencement of menstruation blood gets collected in the vagina and gives rise to symptoms.
PMDS type I results from mutations of the gene ("AMH") for AMH on chromosome 19p3.3.
PMDS type II results from mutations of the gene ("AMH-RII") for the AMH receptor on 12q13.
Both types of disorders are inherited as autosomal recessive conditions with expression usually limited to XY offspring.
An imperforate hymen is formed during fetal development when the sinovaginal bulbs fail to canalize with the rest of the vagina. Although some instances of familial occurrence have been reported, the condition's occurrence is mostly sporadic, and no genetic markers or mutations have been linked to its cause.