Case Study: Patient with Intense Dysmenorrhea

Case Study: Patient with Intense Dysmenorrhea

BSC2347 Human Anatomy and Physiology II Module 09 Case Study

Question 1

Samira is a 26-year-old female with a history of intense dysmenorrhea. She experience menarche at age 11. Her menstrual cycles average 25 days in length. She has a BMI of 18. Her menstrual cycle pain had decreased over the last 3 years while she was consistently taking birth control pills. However, she is now planning her first pregnancy and has been off birth control for 6 months now. She has yet to conceive, even though she and her partner have been carefully timing intercourse and monitoring Samira’s fertility window each month. Her dysmenorrhea has returned and she has developed menometrorrhagia, along with other cyclical symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, and craving salty foods.

Samira’s physician is concerned that she may have endometriosis. Briefly explain the pathophysiology of this condition.

Question 2

Which of Samira’s symptoms is most likely NOT related to endometriosis?

Answers:

Craving salty food

Diarrhea

Dysmenorrhea

Bloating

Question 3

Why would Samira’s dysmenorrhea symptoms decrease when taking birth control pills?!

Question 4

List and briefly describe 3 risk factors Samira has for endometriosis.

Question 5

Aside from the symptoms Samira has, which of the following symptoms is also likely for women who experience endometriosis? (Select all that apply.)

Answers:

Fatigue

Pain with bowel movements

Pain with intercourse

Increased likelihood of gonorrhea

Increased risk of genital warts

Question 6

Samira’s physician wants to perform several tests to diagnose her condition. Which of the following procedures would NOT be helpful in diagnosing endometriosis?

Answers:

Pap smear

Ultrasound

Pelvic exam

Laparoscopy

Question 7

If Samira still wishes to become pregnant, which treatment option may decrease her symptoms while allowing fertilization and implantation of an ovum?

Answers:

Progestin therapy

Depo-Provera

Estrogen-Progesterone patch

Conservative surgery

Question 8

List and describe 3 lifestyle or at-home treatments that may help Samira reduce her symptoms.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true?

Answers:

Women with endometriosis always have symptoms of the disease, even if they are only mild symptoms.

Patients under 25 years of age with endometriosis are often treated with surgical hysterectomy.

In endometriosis, endometrial tissue only grows on reproductive organs and cannot affect other structures in the pelvic or abdominal cavity.

About 1/3 of women with endometriosis struggle with infertility.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true?

Answers:

Genetics play no role in endometriosis.

Women who have mothers, aunts, and sisters with endometriosis are more likely to develop the condition themselves.

Endometriosis is typically diagnosed after menopause.

Exposure to estrogen through foods, medications, and other environmental factors does not contribute to a woman’s risk of endometriosis.

Question 11

Donald is a 62-year-old male who has been experiencing frequent urination and trouble starting to urinate for several weeks. He has a family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Donald’s BMI is 29, he occasionally drinks alcohol and coffee, and his diet consists mainly of red meat, starches, and dairy products. Just yesterday, he had an episode of incontinence and decided to seek care immediately. Donald was referred to an urologist who suspected that his prostate was the cause of his urinary issues.

Which of the following conditions could be causing Donald’s urinary symptoms? (Select all that apply.)

Answers:

Erectile dysfunction

Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Prostate cancer

Urinary tract infection

Question 12

Briefly explain how Donald’s prostate could be related to his inability to urinate normally.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is true?

Answers:

BPH increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is typically diagnosed in men under 40 years of age.

Early prostate cancer may cause no symptoms at all.

Both prostate cancer and BPH often cause radiating pain into the lower extremities, bilaterally.

Question 14

Donald’s urologist performs a digital rectal exam and finds the surface of the prostate to be hard and many nodules are present. Based on these findings, which of the following is most likely?

Answers:

BPH

Prostate cancer

UTI

Kidney stones

Question 15

Explain what a prostate-specific antigen test is and how it could be helpful for Donald.

Question 16

“Watchful waiting” is a treatment approach commonly used in cases involving the prostate. Explain what this means and why it is used.

Question 17

Medications like alpha-blockers may help relieve Donald’s symptoms by:

Answers:

Relaxing the muscles at the base of the bladder.

Increasing the amount of urine filtered through the kidneys.

Increasing blood pressure

Diluting the urine’s concentration

Question 18

Donald’s physician recommends a surgery called “transurethral resection of the prostate”. Briefly describe how this procedure is performed. Be sure to use anatomical terms.

Question 19

If Donald is diagnosed with prostate cancer, his treatment will depend on the stage of the cancer. Which of the following is true?

Answers:

Early stages of cancer are always metastatic.

Cancer staging is measure by three factors- tumor size and location, lymph node involvement, and metastasis.

Prostate cancer that involves lymph nodes is the earliest stage of cancer.

Tumors that are classified as T1 always cause urinary symptoms.

Question 20

Donald is experiencing urinary symptoms, but prostate conditions can also interfere with the male reproductive system. Which of the following statements is true?

Answers:

Donald should be worried about developing erectile dysfunction, as it is a common side effect of prostate enlargement.

Prostate enlargement can impair a male’s ability to produce sperm.

Some forms of prostate enlargement, such as prostate cancer, can occlude the ejaculatory duct and cause painful ejaculation.

Early stages of prostate cancer often occlude the epididymis, blocking the transportation of sperm.

Case Study: Patient with Intense Dysmenorrhea

 

 

MORE INFO 

Intense Dysmenorrhea

Introduction

Dysmenorrhea is a common condition, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. It can be caused by many different things, including stress and hormonal changes. However, dysmenorrhea may also be caused by other issues or injuries to your pelvic region. In this article we’ll cover what dysmenorrhea is and how it affects you!

Symptoms

• Painful cramps and lower back pain

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

• Dizziness, lightheadedness

• Fever (may be low grade or high)

If you experience any of the above symptoms it is important that you seek medical attention immediately.

Causes

It’s not just your period that can cause severe cramps. Painful periods, called dysmenorrhea, is a common complaint in women of all ages and can be caused by many different factors.

The uterus contracts during menstruation to release the lining of your uterus (known as endometrium) into the body cavity. The muscle contraction causes severe abdominal pain and discomfort—the “cramping.” This painful process is known as menstrual cramping or uterine spasms; however, it’s actually more complex than just this one symptom alone because there are also other symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea such as nausea, vomiting and constipation (or diarrhea).

Takeaway:

Here are some tips that may help:

• Don’t take ibuprofen, aspirin or any other blood-thinning medications. This can lead to internal bleeding, which can cause your symptoms to get worse.

• Don’t smoke. Smoking increases the risk of miscarriage and preterm delivery by causing low birth weight and premature birth in mothers—both of which increase the risk of having children with heart defects or other problems later on in life.

• Don’t drink alcohol while you are pregnant unless your doctor recommends it for a specific reason (for example, if you have certain health conditions). Drinking more than one cup per day is considered “moderate” drinking and is linked with an increased risk for several complications during pregnancy such as preterm birth, stillbirths (deaths prior to delivery), miscarriage rates higher than average levels seen among non-pregnant women not consuming alcohol at all times during their menstrual cycles; postpartum depression showing up after giving birth even though nothing happened physically wrong with her body before becoming pregnant!

Conclusion

If you’re suffering from intense dysmenorrhea, don’t worry. We know it can be a painful condition and we want to help. If you have any questions on what you can do to feel better, please call us at 1-888-545-4434 or visit our website for more information about this problem or other issues you may be experiencing with your periods.