Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in Adolescent Korean Girls: Clinical Manifestations and Management and Counseling Strategies

OBJECTIVE: To identify aspects of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) with menorrhagia and irregular menstruation in adolescents, compare ultrasound findings, provide treatment options, and establish a consultation strategy. STUDY DESIGN: Retro-spective chart review at a single institution. Total of 353 adolescent girls aged 11 to 19 years who presented to the hospital from May 2006 to September 2019. RESULT: Among all pa-tients, 91 (25.93%) had menorrhagia, 300 (84.99%) had irregular vaginal bleeding, and 81 (22.95%) had overlapping symptoms. The average hemoglobin value among 101 patients tested was 11.42±2.60 g/dL; the lowest hemoglobin value was 3.7 g/dL. At ultrasound, the most common uterine abnormality in both groups was thickened endometrium (24/39 [61.54%] and 49/72 [68.06%]), and 183 (53.8%) patients had ovarian abnor-mality, most commonly polycystic ovarian morphology. Eighteen patients required blood transfusion and 9 had surgical diagnoses based on ultrasound findings and clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound, along with a thorough history and physical exam-ination, can be useful for diagnosis and management of AUB in adolescent girls, reducing unnecessary evaluation and intervention. Prompt recognition of cases requiring surgical treatment requires an attempt for ac-tive diagnosis, and a strategy for appropriate explana-tion is needed.