title: Spontaneous pregnancy after 13 years of amenorrhea in a patient with a voluminous ovarian dysgerminoma and submitted to left adnexectomy and radiotherapy.
abstract: The authors illustrate the case of a 17-year-old patient who was submitted to left adnexectomy in view of an ovarian dysgerminoma 24 cm in diameter and weighing 2,800 g. She was subsequently submitted to two cycles of radiotherapy. Following a period of amenorrhea lasting 13 years and characterized by high serum levels of gonadotropins, the patient had a spontaneous pregnancy and at 33 weeks of gestation delivered a live and vital fetus. Therefore the occurrence of post-radiotherapy amenorrhea, characterized by high serum gonadotropin levels, should not always be considered pathognomonic of precocious menopause. The possibility that radiotherapy causes only a temporary alteration in ovarian activity should also be taken into consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garcea
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcea
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D004407:Dysgerminoma / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone