8. Andrea, a 32-year-old female, visits her nurse practitioner complaining of co

Question

8. Andrea, a 32-year-old female, visits her nurse practitioner complaining of constipation, pelvic pain, and dysmenorrhea. Within the last 6 months, Andrea’s sister has been diagnosed with endometriosis. Laparoscopy reveals two regions of ectopic endometrial tissue on Andrea’s ovaries. Since Andrea does not intend to have any children, she decides to take a GnRH agonist in an attempt to treat the disorder without resorting to surgery. Explain how this medication would help alleviate the signs and symptoms of this disorder

Explanation / Answer

Endometriosis is a medical condition of women in which the structures which are generally supposed to reside and grow outside the uterus invade it and grow inside it. As a result, the innermost lining of the uterus fails to get vessel-development and shedding normally and results in over-bleeding during menstruation. Further, since extravasation of tissue takes place, a severe local inflammatory response is also produced due to endometriosis while dysmenorrhea is highly common.

Thus, therapies which delay or blunt menstruation and menstrual cycle help in temporarily treating the inflammed tissue and the intra-uterine scars. This is why anti-Gonatotropin release hormone therapy or GnRH agonist therapy is useful in treating this disorder. Since GnRH prevent release of follicle stimulating hormone and leutinizing hormone which are essential for maturation and release of ovum from the ovaries, the woman undergoes temporary menopause and thus bargains time for getting treated from endometriosis.

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