Mammography screening behaviors of women exposed prenatally to diethylstilbestrol.

Background: In utero diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure is a risk factor for rare development of vaginal and cervical cancer and may potentially be a risk factor for breast cancer. Mammography use in this population is relatively unknown; therefore, this study aims to determine if in utero DES exposure is associated with the frequency of mammography screening examinations while considering demographic and clinical factors.

Methods: Using combined DES cohort questionnaire data, self-reported mammography screening over the past 5 years (2001-2006) was analyzed in women aged ≥45 years.

Autoimmune disease incidence among women prenatally exposed to diethylstilbestrol.

Objective: Animal studies have suggested that prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure may alter immune system development and function including antigen self-recognition. A cohort study was conducted to investigate whether prenatal DES exposure might influence the incidence of at least some specific autoimmune diseases in women.

Methods: A group of women who were and were not prenatally exposed to DES have been followed for more than 25 years for numerous health outcomes including autoimmune disease.

Breast cancer screening in women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol.

Purpose: To determine if women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES) are more likely than unexposed women to receive recommended or additional breast cancer screening examinations.

Methods: 1994 Diethylstilbestrol-Adenosis (DESAD) cohort data are used to assess the degree of recommended compliance of breast cancer screenings found in 3140 DES-exposed and 826 unexposed women. Participants were enrolled at four sites: Houston, Boston, Rochester, and Los Angeles.

Cervical screening and general physical examination behaviors of women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol.

Objective: To estimate whether women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES) report receiving more cervical and general physical examinations compared to unexposed women.

Materials And Methods: 1994 Diethylstilbestrol Adenosis cohort data are used to assess the degree of recommended compliance of cervical screenings found in 3,140 DES-exposed and 826 unexposed women. Participants were enrolled at 4 sites: Houston, Boston, Rochester, and Los Angeles.

The association between in utero cigarette smoke exposure and age at menopause.

Menopause onset, on average, occurs earlier among women who smoke cigarettes than among women who do not smoke. Prenatal smoke exposure may also influence age at menopause through possible effects on follicle production in utero. Smoking information was obtained from the mothers of 4,025 participants in the National Cooperative Diethylstilbestrol Adenosis (DESAD) Project, a US study begun in 1975 to examine the health effects of prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure.

Home study course: Fall 2003.

Objective: The Home Study Course is intended for the practicing colposcopist or practitioner who is seeking to develop or enhance his or her colposcopic skills. The goal of the course is to present colposcopic cases that are unusual or instructive in terms of appearance, presentation, or management or that demonstrate new and important knowledge in the area of colposcopy or pathology. Participants may benefit from reading and studying the material or from testing their knowledge by answering the questions.

Detection of human cytomegalovirus DNA in 986 women studied for human papillomavirus-associated cervical neoplasia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with cervical histologic findings and possible interaction with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Materials And Methods: Nine hundred eighty-six women with a Pap test reported as high-grade intraepithelial lesion or with two smears reported as atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance or low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion referred for colposcopic examination were studied. All participants had a cervical Pap smear obtained and underwent colposcopically directed biopsy and endocervical curettage.

Lichen sclerosus involving the vagina.

Background: A review of the English literature since 1940 did not reveal a reported case of lichen sclerosus involving the vaginal mucosa. Diagnosis of lichen sclerosus involving the vagina must thus be a rare occurrence.

Case: This report presents the findings on a 54-year-old white woman with a history of lichen sclerosus involving the vulva.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the vulva: two case reports.

This report describes the histopathologic results of Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the vulva and options for treatment. We present two new cases demonstrating vulvar manifestations of disease and their course of treatment with a review of the literature. Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the female genital tract is rare.

The vulvodynia guideline.

Objective: To provide a review of the literature and make known expert opinion regarding the treatment of vulvodynia.

Materials And Methods: Experts reviewed the existing literature to provide new definitions for vulvar pain and to describe treatments for this condition.

Results: Vulvodynia has been redefined by the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease as vulvar discomfort in the absence of gross anatomic or neurologic findings.

Risk of benign gynecologic tumors in relation to prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure.

Objective: To investigate the association between prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure and risk of benign gynecologic tumors.

Methods: We conducted a collaborative follow-up study of women with and without documented intrauterine exposure to DES. We compared the incidence of self-reported ovarian cysts, paraovarian cysts, and uterine leiomyomata confirmed by medical record in DES-exposed and unexposed women.

Risk of breast cancer in women exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero: prelimiinary results (United States).

Background: A synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol (DES), was widely prescribed to pregnant women during the 1950s and 1960s but was later discovered to be associated with an increased risk of clear-cell carcinoma of the vagina and cervix in female offspring. DES has not been linked to other cancers in female offspring, but studies of other prenatal factors such as twin gestation and pre-eclampsia have indicated that in-utero estrogen levels may influence breast cancer risk. We evaluated the relation of in-utero DES exposure to the risk of adult breast cancer.

Treatment of vulvovaginal lichen planus with vaginal hydrocortisone suppositories.

Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of vaginal hydrocortisone suppositories in the treatment of vulvovaginal lichen planus.

Methods: A nonprobability sample of 60 patients diagnosed with vulvovaginal lichen planus were treated with intravaginal hydrocortisone 25-mg suppositories (1-1/2) twice a day. The dose was tapered to two times a week dosing after several months to maintain symptom-free disease.

Treatment of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 with imiquimod.

Objective: To retrospectively review the charts of 13 women diagnosed with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) 2/3 treated with imiquimod and to evaluate the efficacy of this treatment.

Study Design: Retrospective review. All 13 women were treated and evaluated by a single gynecologist.

Findings in female offspring of women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol.

Objective: To examine a group of women (third-generation daughters) whose mothers were exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DES) and compare their findings on pelvic examination with those noted in their mothers.

Methods: Letters were mailed to women documented to have been exposed in utero to DES who had given birth to a female offspring, inviting them to have their daughters come in for a detailed history and pelvic examination. Records of the mothers whose daughters appeared for examination were reviewed, and findings noted at the time of their initial examination were recorded.