Dysfunctional uterine bleeding in adolescence

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding in adolescence is usually not a pathological process but a physiological adjustment in the achievement of normal reproductive status. The source of the problem in the vast majority of patients lies in the development of an intact hypothalamo-pituitary ovarian axis which exhibits normal pulsatile gonadotrophin release. The achievement of this in point usually resolves the dysfunctional bleeding problem. Management of these problems is dependent on the clinical impact of blood loss and only requires medication when menstrual loss needs to be controlled. Special circumstances, such as mentally retarded children, require special attention in order to fulfil a number of clinical difficulties and almost always require medical intervention.