Hormonal profiles and adjustment disorders in adolescent girls with menstrual abnormalities and comorbid pathology

Abstract

Background. The reproductive health of girls has acquired great social significance in connection with the problem of quantitative and qualitative reproduction of the population. The purpose of the study was to determine the hormonal status of adolescent females with menstrual disorders and various somatic pathologies and to investigate the state of adaptive-compensatory capacities in these patients. Materials and methods. The hormonal background was studied in 391 girls aged 12–17 years: 175 with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and 216 with oligomenorrhea (OM). All patients were examined by a multidisciplinary team. Results. A comorbid pathology was found in the absolute majority of girls with menstrual abnormalities. Endocrine disorders were noted more often (pϕ < 0.001–0.00001). Indicators of hormone concentration in patients with menstrual disorders had no significant differences depending on the type of comorbidity. Probable changes in the content of some hormones were observed depending on the type of menstrual disorders. A significant increase in the level of luteinizing hormone (pu < 0.02) and a decrease in estradiol (pu < 0.02) were observed in patients with OM compared to those with AUB. The assessment of the adjustment state revealed that in girls with menstrual disorders, the average cortisol content did not differ from that of controls, and insulin was higher than in the comparison group (pu < 0.001). Ho­wever, high cortisol values (above 90 percentile) were noted in 8–13 % of patients with AUB and OM. The stress index (C/In) as a marker of a nonspecific stress response was lower than in the comparison group (pu < 0.0001), and it was probably higher in girls with OM than in adolescents with AUB (pu < 0.004). Conclusions. An interdisciplinary approach is a mo­dern strategy in the treatment of menstrual disorders in adolescence. A decrease in the stress index was found in girls with menstrual disorders, which may indicate a decrease in adaptive capacity. Moreover, adolescents with OM are more adjusted to menstrual disorders than girls with AUB.