Biomaterial Database

Menarche and menstrual function in patients with myelomeningocele. 1994

L Furman, and J C Mortimer

Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies' and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH.

The aim of this study was to assess menarchal age, to clarify the role of heredity in the timing of menarche, and to examine the management of menses in girls and young women with myelomeningocele. All female patients aged three years or older attending a tertiary-care hospital clinic were eligible. A questionnaire was administered to each menstruating patient and, when possible, a menstruating sibling control. Most biological descriptors of menses were comparable for patients and sibling controls, but management of menses, routine gynecological care and attitudes about family planning differed. Girls with myelomeningocele menstruated significantly earlier than the US mean (10.25 years); as did the girls' mothers (11.91 years), but not their sisters. This finding may have biological significance, and a larger sample size is needed to confirm or refute it.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008572	Menarche	The first MENSTRUAL CYCLE marked by the initiation of MENSTRUATION.
D008591	Meningomyelocele	Congenital, or rarely acquired, herniation of meningeal and spinal cord tissue through a bony defect in the vertebral column. The majority of these defects occur in the lumbosacral region. Clinical features include PARAPLEGIA, loss of sensation in the lower body, and incontinence. This condition may be associated with the ARNOLD-CHIARI MALFORMATION and HYDROCEPHALUS. (From Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch55, pp35-6)	Myelocele,Myelomeningocele,Acquired Meningomyelocele,Myelomeningocele, Acquired,Acquired Meningomyeloceles,Acquired Myelomeningocele,Acquired Myelomeningoceles,Meningomyelocele, Acquired,Meningomyeloceles,Meningomyeloceles, Acquired,Myeloceles,Myelomeningoceles,Myelomeningoceles, Acquired
D008597	Menstrual Cycle	The period from onset of one menstrual bleeding (MENSTRUATION) to the next in an ovulating woman or female primate. The menstrual cycle is regulated by endocrine interactions of the HYPOTHALAMUS; the PITUITARY GLAND; the ovaries; and the genital tract. The menstrual cycle is divided by OVULATION into two phases. Based on the endocrine status of the OVARY, there is a FOLLICULAR PHASE and a LUTEAL PHASE. Based on the response in the ENDOMETRIUM, the menstrual cycle is divided into a proliferative and a secretory phase.	Endometrial Cycle,Ovarian Cycle,Cycle, Endometrial,Cycle, Menstrual,Cycle, Ovarian,Cycles, Endometrial,Cycles, Menstrual,Cycles, Ovarian,Endometrial Cycles,Menstrual Cycles,Ovarian Cycles
D005193	Family Planning Services	Health care programs or services designed to assist individuals in the planning of family size. Various methods of CONTRACEPTION can be used to control the number and timing of childbirths.	Family Planning,Family Planning Programs,Planned Pregnancy,Pregnancy, Planned,Family Planning Program,Family Planning Service,Planned Pregnancies,Planning Service, Family,Planning Services, Family,Pregnancies, Planned,Program, Family Planning,Programs, Family Planning,Service, Family Planning,Services, Family Planning
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths