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Date of Award

Spring 2022

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (Physician Assistant)

Department

Physician Assistant; College of Health Sciences

First Advisor

Gina Montefusco, PA-C

Abstract

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is a multifactorial condition that is often overlooked, although it is commonly encountered in practice. It is both an endocrine and gynecologic issue that stems from dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. The clinician should put emphasis on completing a thorough history in order to determine the underlying condition that is causing the dysfunction in the HPO axis, and subsequent amenorrhea. The treatment regimen is multidisciplinary and should be created with the goal of reversing the inciting mechanism. Pharmaceutical agents, such as transdermal estrogen and OCPs, have commonly been prescribed to restore menses. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is still a novel treatment regimen, it has shown to be efficacious in the setting of hypothalamic amenorrhea and has remarkable potential in being a sustainable option for these patients.

Additional Files

capstone presentation -pdf.pdf (1887 kB)

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Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy's Role as a Clinical Intervention

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is a multifactorial condition that is often overlooked, although it is commonly encountered in practice. It is both an endocrine and gynecologic issue that stems from dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. The clinician should put emphasis on completing a thorough history in order to determine the underlying condition that is causing the dysfunction in the HPO axis, and subsequent amenorrhea. The treatment regimen is multidisciplinary and should be created with the goal of reversing the inciting mechanism. Pharmaceutical agents, such as transdermal estrogen and OCPs, have commonly been prescribed to restore menses. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is still a novel treatment regimen, it has shown to be efficacious in the setting of hypothalamic amenorrhea and has remarkable potential in being a sustainable option for these patients.