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The most common presentation is vaginal bleeding. Other presentations include pelvic mass and uterine polyp. Generally, the clinical findings are non-specific.
Adenomyosis can vary widely in the type and severity of symptoms that it causes, ranging from being entirely asymptomatic 33% of the time to being a severe and debilitating condition in some cases. Women with adenomyosis typically first report symptoms when they are between 40 and 50, but symptoms can occur in younger women.
Symptoms and the estimated percent affected may include:
- Chronic pelvic pain (77%)
- Heavy menstrual bleeding (40-60%), which is more common with in women with deeper adenomyosis. Blood loss may be significant enough to cause anemia, with associated symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, and moodiness.
- Abnormal uterine bleeding
- Painful cramping menstruation (15-30%)
- Painful vaginal intercourse (7%)
- A 'bearing' down feeling
- Pressure on bladder
- Dragging sensation down thighs and legs
Clinical signs of adenomyosis may include:
- Uterine enlargement (30%), which in turn can lead to symptoms of pelvic fullness.
- Tender uterus
- Infertility or sub-fertility (11-12%) - In addition, adenomyosis is associated with an increased incidence of preterm labour and premature rupture of membranes.
Women with adenomyosis are also more likely to have other uterine conditions, including:
- Uterine fibroids (50%)
- Endometriosis (11%)
- Endometrial polyp (7%)
Uterine adenosarcoma have, by definition, a malignant stroma and benign glandular elements. The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria have a mitotic rate cut point; however, this is often disregarded, as bland-appearing tumours with a low mitotic rate are known to metastasize occasionally.
Some women with uterine fibroids do not have symptoms. Abdominal pain, anemia and increased bleeding can indicate the presence of fibroids. There may also be pain during intercourse, depending on the location of the fibroid. During pregnancy, they may also be the cause of miscarriage, bleeding, premature labor, or interference with the position of the fetus. A uterine fibroid can cause rectal pressure. The abdomen can grow larger mimicking the appearance of pregnancy. Some large fibroids can extend out through the cervix and vagina.
While fibroids are common, they are not a typical cause for infertility, accounting for about 3% of reasons why a woman may not be able to have a child. The majority of women with uterine fibroids will have normal pregnancy outcomes. In cases of intercurrent uterine fibroids in infertility, a fibroid is typically located in a submucosal position and it is thought that this location may interfere with the function of the lining and the ability of the embryo to implant.
It is often characterized by a decrease in flow and duration of bleeding (absence of menstrual bleeding, little menstrual bleeding, or infrequent menstrual bleeding) and become infertile. Menstrual anomalies are often but not always correlated with severity: adhesions restricted to only the cervix or lower uterus may block menstruation. Pain during menstruation and ovulation is sometimes experienced and can be attributed to blockages.
It has been reported that 88% of AS cases occur after a D&C is performed on a recently pregnant uterus, following a missed or incomplete miscarriage, birth, or during an elective termination (abortion) to remove retained products of conception.
Adenomyosis is a gynecologic medical condition characterized by the abnormal presence of endometrial tissue (the inner lining of the uterus) within the myometrium (the thick, muscular layer of the uterus). In contrast, when endometrial tissue is present entirely outside the uterus, it represents a similar but distinct medical condition called endometriosis. The two conditions are found together in many cases, but often occur independently. Before being recognized as its own condition, adenomyosis used to be called "endometriosis interna". Additionally, the less-commonly used term "adenomyometritis" is a more specific name for the condition, specifying involvement of the uterus.
The condition is typically found in women between the ages of 35 and 50 but can also be present in younger women. Patients with adenomyosis often present with painful and/or profuse menses (dysmenorrhea & menorrhagia, respectively). Other possible symptoms are pain during sexual intercourse, chronic pelvic pain and irritation of the urinary bladder.
In adenomyosis, "basal" endometrium penetrates into hyperplastic myometrial fibers. Therefore, unlike functional layer, basal layer does not undergo typical cyclic changes with menstrual cycle.
Adenomyosis may involve the uterus focally, creating an adenomyoma. With diffuse involvement, the uterus becomes bulky and heavier.
Various classification systems were developed to describe Asherman’s syndrome (citations to be added), some taking into account the amount of functioning residual endometrium, menstrual pattern, obstetric history and other factors which are thought to play a role in determining the prognoses. With the advent of techniques which allow visualization of the uterus, classification systems were developed to take into account the location and severity of adhesions inside the uterus. This is useful as mild cases with adhesions restricted to the cervix may present with amenorrhea and infertility, showing that symptoms alone do not necessarily reflect severity. Other patients may have no adhesions but amenorrhea and infertility due to a sclerotic atrophic endometrium. The latter form has the worst prognosis.
A unicornuate uterus represents a uterine malformation where the uterus is formed from one only of the paired Müllerian ducts while the other Müllerian duct does not develop or only in a rudimentary fashion. The sometimes called "hemi-uterus" has a single horn linked to the ipsilateral fallopian tube that faces its ovary.
Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. Most women have no symptoms while others may have painful or heavy periods. If large enough, they may push on the bladder causing a frequent need to urinate. They may also cause pain during sex or lower back pain. A woman can have one uterine fibroid or many. Occasionally, fibroids may make it difficult to become pregnant, although this is uncommon.
The exact cause of uterine fibroids is unclear. However, fibroids run in families and appear to be partly determined by hormone levels. Risk factors include obesity and eating red meat. Diagnosis can be performed by pelvic examination or medical imaging.
Treatment is typically not needed if there are no symptoms. NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, may help with pain and bleeding while paracetamol (acetaminophen) may help with pain. Iron supplements may be needed in those with heavy periods. Medications of the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist class may decrease the size of the fibroids but are expensive and associated with side effects. If greater symptoms are present, surgery to remove the fibroid or uterus may help. Uterine artery embolization may also help. Cancerous versions of fibroids are very rare and are known as leiomyosarcomas. They do not appear to develop from benign fibroids.
About 20% to 80% of women develop fibroids by the age of 50. In 2013, it was estimated that 171 million women were affected. They are typically found during the middle and later reproductive years. After menopause, they usually decrease in size. In the United States, uterine fibroids are a common reason for surgical removal of the uterus.
The arcuate uterus is a form of a uterine anomaly or variation where the uterine cavity displays a concave contour towards the fundus. Normally the uterine cavity is straight or convex towards the fundus on anterior-posterior imaging, but in the arcuate uterus the myometrium of the fundus dips into the cavity and may form a small septation. The distinction between an arcuate uterus and a septate uterus is not standardized.
An interstitial pregnancy is a uterine but ectopic pregnancy; the pregnancy is located outside the uterine cavity in that part of the fallopian tube that penetrates the muscular layer of the uterus. The term cornual pregnancy is sometimes used as a synonym, but remains ambiguous as it is also applied to indicate the presence of a pregnancy located within the cavity in one of the two upper "horns" of a bicornuate uterus. Interstitial pregnancies have a higher mortality than ectopics in general.
Ovarian pregnancy refers to an ectopic pregnancy that is located in the ovary. Typically the egg cell is not released or picked up at ovulation, but fertilized within the ovary where the pregnancy implants. Such a pregnancy usually does not proceed past the first four weeks of pregnancy. An untreated ovarian pregnancy causes potentially fatal intraabdominal bleeding and thus may become a medical emergency.
It can, however, grow to almost 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter and has the potential to bleed into itself or twist the ovary, causing pelvic or abdominal pain. If it fills with blood, the cyst may rupture, causing internal bleeding and sharp pain. This pain disappears within a few days of the rupture. Rarely, it may cause the ovary to twist around the ovarian ligament and can cut off the blood flow to the ovary. This is known as ovarian torsion and causes pain and other symptoms.
A uterine septum is a form of a congenital malformation where the uterine cavity is partitioned by a longitudinal septum; the outside of the uterus has a normal typical shape. The wedge-like partition may involve only the superior part of the cavity resulting in an "incomplete septum" or a "subseptate uterus", or less frequently the total length of the cavity ("complete septum") and the cervix resulting in a double cervix. The septation may also continue caudally into the vagina resulting in a "double vagina".
Women with the condition may be asymptomatic and unaware of having a uniconuate uterus; normal pregnancy may occur. In a review of the literature Reichman et al. analyzed the data on pregnancy outcome of 290 women with a unicornuate uterus. 175 women had conceived for a total of 468 pregnancies. They found that about 50% of patients delivered a live baby. The rates for ectopic pregnancy was 2.7%, for miscarriage 34%, and for preterm delivery 20%, while the intrauterine demise rate was 10%. Thus patients with a unicornuate uterus are at a higher risk for pregnancy loss and obstetrical complications.
A Cervical pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy that has implanted in the uterine endocervix. Such a pregnancy typically aborts within the first trimester, however, if it is implanted closer to the uterine cavity - a so-called cervico-isthmic pregnancy - it may continue longer. Placental removal in a cervical pregnancy may result in major hemorrhage.
Patients with ovarian torsion often present with sudden onset of sharp and usually unilateral lower abdominal pain, in 70% of cases accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Bleeding before the expected time of menarche could be a sign of precocious puberty. Other possible causes include the presence of a foreign body in the vagina, molestation, vaginal infection (vaginitis), and rarely, a tumor.
Some or all of the following symptoms may be present, though it is possible not to experience any symptoms:
- Abdominal pain. Dull aching pain within the abdomen or pelvis, especially during intercourse.
- Uterine bleeding. Pain during or shortly after beginning or end of menstrual period; irregular periods, or abnormal uterine bleeding or spotting.
- Fullness, heaviness, pressure, swelling, or bloating in the abdomen.
- When a cyst ruptures from the ovary, there may be sudden and sharp pain in the lower abdomen on one side.
- Change in frequency or ease of urination (such as inability to fully empty the bladder), or difficulty with bowel movements due to pressure on adjacent pelvic anatomy.
- Constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Weight gain
Other symptoms may depend on the cause of the cysts:
- Symptoms that may occur if the cause of the cysts is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may include increased facial hair or body hair, acne, obesity and infertility.
- If the cause is endometriosis, then periods may be heavy, and intercourse painful.
The effect of cysts not related to PCOS on fertility is unclear.
Ovarian torsion (OT) is the rotation of the ovary at its to such a degree as to occlude the ovarian artery and/or vein.
The American Fertility Society (now American Society of Reproductive Medicine) Classification distinguishes:
- Class I: Müllerian agenesis (absent uterus).
- Uterus is not present, vagina only rudimentary or absent. The condition is also called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome. The patient with MRKH syndrome will have primary amenorrhea.
- Class II: Unicornuate uterus (a one-sided uterus).
- Only one side of the Müllerian duct forms. The uterus has a typical "banana shape" on imaging systems.
- Class III: Uterus didelphys, also uterus didelphis (double uterus).
- Both Müllerian ducts develop but fail to fuse, thus the patient has a "double uterus". This may be a condition with a double cervix and a vaginal partition (v.i.), or the lower Müllerian system fused into its unpaired condition. See Triplet-birth with Uterus didelphys for a case of a woman having spontaneous birth in both wombs with twins.
- Class IV: Bicornuate uterus (uterus with two horns).
- Only the upper part of that part of the Müllerian system that forms the uterus fails to fuse, thus the caudal part of the uterus is normal, the cranial part is bifurcated. The uterus is "heart-shaped".
- Class V: Septated uterus (uterine septum or partition).
- The two Müllerian ducts have fused, but the partition between them is still present, splitting the system into two parts. With a complete septum the vagina, cervix and the uterus can be partitioned. Usually the septum affects only the cranial part of the uterus. A uterine septum is the most common uterine malformation and a cause for miscarriages. It is diagnosed by medical image techniques, i.e. ultrasound or an MRI. MRI is considered the preferred modality due to its multiplanar capabilities as well as its ability to evaluate the uterine contour, junctional zone, and other pelvic anatomy. A hysterosalpingogram is not considered as useful due to the inability of the technique to evaluate the exterior contour of the uterus and distinguish between a bicornuate and septate uterus.
A uterine septum can be corrected by hysteroscopic surgery.
- Class VI: DES uterus.
- The uterine cavity has a "T-shape" as a result of fetal exposure to diethylstilbestrol.
An additional variation is the arcuate uterus where there is a concave dimple in the uterine fundus within the cavity.
A rudimentary uterus is a uterine remnant not connected to cervix and vagina and may be found on the other side of an unicornuate uterus.
Patients with uterine abnormalities may have associated renal abnormalities including unilateral renal agenesis.
Hematosalpinx (sometimes also hemosalpinx) is a medical condition involving bleeding into the fallopian tubes.
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.
Uterus didelphys (sometimes also "uterus didelphis") represents a uterine malformation where the uterus is present as a paired organ when the embryogenetic fusion of the Müllerian ducts fails to occur. As a result, there is a double uterus with two separate cervices, and rarely a double vagina as well. Each uterus has a single horn linked to the ipsilateral fallopian tube that faces its ovary.
In non human species ("e.g." nematodes), a didelphic genital tract may be normal rather than a malformation. Such species are described as didelphic, as opposed to monodelphic, with a single tract.
Uterine hyperplasia, or enlarged uterus, is a medical symptom in which the volume and size of the uterus in a female is abnormally high. It can be a symptom of medical conditions such as adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and endometrial cancer.