Secondary amenorrhea
The etiologies of primary and secondary amenorrhea often overlap. Those more commonly associated with primary amenorrhea are discussed in Chapter 30. Most secondary amenorrhea results from anovulation. The most common…
Abnormalities of female sexual differentiation and development
Structural anomalies Structural anomalies of the uterus, cervix and vagina are the most common abnormalities of sexual differentiation seen in women. They arise from embryologic abnormalities of Müllerian system development…
Hyperprolactinemia
Hyperprolactinemia is a common clinical problem. Cases resulting from inappropriate prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland are the third most frequently diagnosed cause of chronic anovulation and secondary amenorrhea. There…
2: Human reproductive disorders
Cryptorchidism An undescended testis (cryptorchidism) is the most common genital abnormality seen in male newborn infants. It occurs in 3% of babies. Either one or both testes may be involved….
Maternal adaptations to pregnancy: I
Maternal physiology must adapt in response to a series of demands attendant to pregnancy (Fig. 20.1). The pregnant woman needs to increase her circulating blood volume to supply nutrients to…
The protein hormones of pregnancy
Placental production of protein hormones The placenta is a very rich source of both protein and steroid hormones, only a few of which are unique to pregnancy (Fig. 18.1). These…
The steroid hormones of pregnancy
Steroid hormone production during pregnancy requires cooperation among maternal, fetal and placental organs and enzyme pathways (Fig. 19.1a). The fetus and the placenta each lack key steroidogenic enzymes and would…
Placental structure and function
The human placenta is the sole interface between the mother and her developing embryo/fetus. Humans differ from most other mammals in that maternal blood comes into direct contact with fetally…
Sexually transmitted diseases of viral origin
Human papillomavirus Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. HPV is a wily pathogen that causes a spectrum of clinical…
