What is Adolescelent Health?

Physical health problems occurring during adolescence can often complicate adolescent development. Illness, injury, medical treatments, hospitalization, and surgery can all intensify concerns about physical appearance, interfere with efforts to gain independence, and disrupt changing relationships with parents and friends. Also, adolescent developmental issues may complicate a teenager's ability to cope with illness and response to treatment.

While some of these youth have to cope with additional physical and mental disabilities as a result of their primary illness, all of them have to deal with the psychological consequences of their condition.

The main focus of adolescent medicine involves addressing the medical and treatment needs of the adolescent's illness, condition, or injury.

Complementary to this, adolescent medicine also anticipates and assesses developmental complications associated with the health care needs of the specific medical problem. Doctors and other health care providers in adolescent medicine assist adolescents and their families in developing strategies to deal with developmental issues and the complications and conflicts that may erupt between illness, treatment, and developmental needs.

Pediatric Services -

• Vulvovaginitis - irritation or infection
• Prepubertal bleeding - bleeding before the normal age of menstruation
• Labial adhesion - a common condition in prepubertal females that sometimes blocks urine flow

Teen Services -

• Ovarian cysts - fluid-filled sacs formed on the ovaries
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Menstrual irregularity - a significant variation in menstrual cycle length and flow
• Pubertal menorrhagia (heavy periods)
• Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) - a hormonal disorder of women in reproductive age, sometime causing menstrual irregularity and excessive hair growth

Educational Services -

Along with treatment, we provide educational services on topics such as:

• Importance of annual gynecological exams
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines
• Contraceptives

Additional Services -

• Minimally invasive surgery
• Ultrasonography