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Vaginal Adenosis

Sareena Singh, MD, FACOG Reviewed 06/2022
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • The normal vagina is lined with squamous epithelium. Adenosis is characterized by the presence of columnar epithelium or glandular tissue in the wall of the vagina.

  • Around week 15 of ...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Maternal DES exposure

  • Complaints of

    • Profuse mucoid vaginal discharge from the glandular epithelium

    • Pruritus

    • Pain/soreness of the vaginal introitus

    • Postcoital bleeding

    • Dyspareunia

PHYSICAL EXAM

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Unless malignancy is present, treatment is conservative.

  • In most young females with this condition, it will resolve with expectant management.

  • Treatment is warranted in women w...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

If the initial colposcopy is normal, a yearly four-quadrant Pap smear of the vagina and of the cervix should be performed. 

DIET

No special diet i...

REFERENCES

1
Reich  O, Fritsch  H. The developmental origin of cervical and vaginal epithelium and their clinical consequences: a systematic review. J Low Genit Tract Dis.  ...

ADDITIONAL READING

Bamigboye  AA, Morris  J. Oestrogen supplementation, mainly diethylstilbestrol, for preventing miscarriages and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Cochrane Datab...

SEE ALSO

Vaginal Malignancy 

CODES

ICD10

  • Q52.4 Other congenital malformations of vagina

  • N89.8 Other specified noninflammatory disorders of vagina

  • T38.5X5A Adverse effect of other estrogens and progestogens, initial encounter

SNOMED

  • 37...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Adenosis is characterized by the presence of columnar epithelium or glandular tissue in the wall of the vagina.

  • Adenosis is common among the daughters of women exposed to DES.

  • Rarely, ad...

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