Adolescent gynecology

Gynecological complaints in the adolescent period are very common, yet many medical practitioners including pediatricians, lack the training and comfort in addressing them. Sexual health is equally important and prompt attention must be provided.

It is imperative to review the physiology of female pubertal development as this foundational basis is key in recognizing pathologies that arise during this period. Beyond this normalcy, the young woman may experience disorders in menstruation, breast problems, and vulvovaginal conditions. With teens engaging in sexual activity, the medical practitioner is encouraged to provide confidential care when confronted with issues related to sexuality. Current guidelines have recommended discussing and offering contraception with emphasis on effective methods. Much has changed in the field of adolescent gynecology, especially with the advent of a life-saving vaccine available to all adolescents at a young age.

With all these topics in mind, the fruition of the focused issue on adolescent gynecology is a collaborative work from different specialists in the field, and we are proud to present this in Pediatric Medicine. Our goal is to provide current and practical information for the medical practitioner when faced with issues relating to the adolescent and young adult women’s reproductive health.

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and peer review: This article was commissioned by the editorial office, Pediatric Medicine for the series “Adolescent Gynecology”. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: Both authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/pm.2019.07.06). The series "Adolescent Gynecology" was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. DRP served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series and an unpaid editorial board member of Pediatric Medicine from Jul 2018 to Jun 2020. MDC served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Maria Demma Cabral

Dilip R Patel