Overview of Vaginal Ulcerative Disease.

Genital ulcers may be located on the vagina, penis, and anorectal or perineal areas and may be infectious or noninfectious. Vaginal ulcers affect patients of all ages and are commonly due to sexually transmitted infections, such as herpes simplex virus, the most common cause of genital ulcers in the United States. Non-sexually transmitted infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus, and other noninfectious causes, such as trauma, medications, and autoimmune disease, rarely can present with genital ulcers. Appropriate history, examination findings, and targeted testing must be used to correctly diagnose and treat vaginal ulcers. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(1):e10-e16.].

Acceptability of Telemedicine Among Parents of Adolescent Patients in an Adolescent Clinic: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, new literature has described the perceptions of adolescent patients on the use of telemedicine for their health care, but less attention has been devoted to parents' and caregivers' perspectives on telemedicine usage for their adolescents. Parents' perspectives are important, as they undoubtedly influence how children learn to make decisions about their health care. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the level of acceptability (measured based on accessibility and satisfaction) expressed by caregivers of adolescent patients with regard to telemedicine visits in an urban adolescent medicine practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was sent electronically to parents and guardians of patients aged <18 years who completed outpatient telemedicine visits to an adolescent medicine practice in Chicago, Illinois, from March 2020 to February 2021. The questions focused on accessibility and satisfaction. The data were analyzed to describe response frequencies. RESULTS: Among a sample of 71 survey respondents, the vast majority reported that telemedicine was very easy to use (58/71, 82%) and was at least as convenient as in-person visits (70/71, 99%). Over 90% of respondents reported that their adolescents' needs were addressed (69/69, 100%) and that they were at least as comfortable with the level of privacy and the confidential conversations between their adolescents and medical providers in telemedicine visits (65/71, 92%) as they were with those in in-person visits. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that parents and guardians find telemedicine to be an acceptable way for their children and adolescents to receive appropriate health care.

Endometrial Cast Expulsion: A Rare Cause of Pelvic Pain Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Menorrhagia is common in adolescents and may necessitate treatment with hormonal contraceptive agents. We describe a case of an adolescent female recently initiated on combined hormonal contraceptive pills with passage of an endometrial cast, a rare complication of hormonal contraceptive therapy. Similarities between this case and limited existing literature shed light on the potential pathophysiology and management of this rare, adverse event. As demonstrated by our case, membranous dysmenorrhea, the term for pain associated with shedding an endometrial cast, should be part of the differential diagnosis of an adolescent female with lower abdominal pain who has recently initiated hormonal contraceptive therapy.

Gender affirming medical care of transgender youth.

The number of gender diverse and transgender youth presenting for treatment are increasing. This is a vulnerable population with unique medical needs; it is essential that all pediatricians attain an adequate level of knowledge and comfort caring for these youth so that their health outcomes may be improved. There are several organizations which provide clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of transgender youth including the WPATH and the Endocrine Society and they recommend that certain eligibility criteria should be met prior to initiation of gender affirming hormones. Medical intervention for transgender youth can be broken down into stages based on pubertal development: pre-pubertal, pubertal and post-pubertal. Pre-pubertally no medical intervention is recommended. Once puberty has commenced, youth are eligible for puberty blockers; and post-pubertally, youth are eligible for feminizing and masculinizing hormone regimens. Treatment with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists are used to block puberty. Their function is many-fold: to pause puberty so that the youth may explore their gender identity, to delay the development of (irreversible) secondary sex characteristics, and to obviate the need for future gender affirmation surgeries. Masculinizing hormone regimens consists of testosterone and feminizing hormone regimens consist of both estradiol as well as spironolactone. In short term studies gender affirming hormone treatment with both estradiol and testosterone has been found to be safe and improve mental health and quality of life outcomes; additional long term studies are needed to further elucidate the implications of gender affirming hormones on physical and mental health in transgender patients. There are a variety of surgeries that transgender individuals may desire in order to affirm their gender identity; it is important for providers to understand that desire for medical interventions is variable among persons and that a discussion about individual desires for surgical options is recommended.

Gendered Body Mass Index Percentile Charts and Transgender Youth: Making the Case to Change Charts.

Body mass index (BMI) is defined as weight (kg)/height2 (m2). Differences in BMI percentiles between sexes confound the diagnosis of weight-related disorders in transgender youth because choosing the appropriate chart is challenging. Data on BMI measures are needed for transgender youth, but there are no guidelines on how to collect or report this data. We use two theoretical cases to assert that health care providers and researchers should consider use of both male and female growth charts for transgender youth, particularly for individuals at the extremes of weight.

Fertility Preservation Outcomes in Adolescent and Young Adult Feminizing Transgender Patients.

BACKGROUND: Fertility preservation enables patients undergoing gonadotoxic therapies to retain the potential for biological children and now has broader implications in the care of transgender individuals. Multiple medical societies recommend counseling on fertility preservation before initiating therapy for gender dysphoria; however, outcome data pre- and posttreatment are limited in feminizing transgender adolescents and young adults. METHODS: The University of Pittsburgh Institutional Research Board approved this study. Data were collected retrospectively on transgender patients seeking fertility preservation between 2015 and 2018, including age at initial consultation and semen analysis parameters. RESULTS: Eleven feminizing transgender patients accepted a referral for fertility preservation during this time; consultation occurred at median age 19 (range 16-24 years). Ten patients attempted and completed at least 1 semen collection. Eight patients cryopreserved semen before initiating treatment. Of those patients, all exhibited low morphology with otherwise normal median semen analysis parameters. In 1 patient who discontinued leuprolide acetate to attempt fertility preservation, transient azoospermia of 5 months' duration was demonstrated with subsequent recovery of spermatogenesis. In a patient who had previously been treated with spironolactone and estradiol, semen analysis revealed persistent azoospermia for the 4 months leading up to orchiectomy after discontinuation of both medications. CONCLUSIONS: Semen cryopreservation is a viable method of fertility preservation in adolescent and young adult transgender individuals and can be considered in patients who have already initiated therapy for gender dysphoria. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length of time these therapies should be discontinued to facilitate successful semen cryopreservation.

Attitudes and Beliefs Pertaining to Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Unmarried, Female Bhutanese Refugee Youth in Philadelphia.

PURPOSE: We explored attitudes and beliefs pertaining to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among unmarried, female, resettled Bhutanese refugees 16-20 years. METHODS: Fourteen interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method, and major themes were identified. RESULTS: SRH was stigmatized for unmarried youth, making seeking information about SRH or accessing family planning difficult. There were many misconceptions about access to SRH. CONCLUSIONS: Universal, culturally, and linguistically appropriate comprehensive SRH education is recommended for female Bhutanese refugee youth. Terminology used should take into account differences in conceptualization of concepts like dating. Educators and health care providers should clearly describe consent and confidentiality laws regarding adolescent SRH services.