Prepubertal vaginal bleeding
Background
- Causes of vaginal bleeding in prepubescent children differ substantially from the causes in adolescents and adults
Causes
- Hormonal
- Neonatal hormonal withdrawal bleeding
- Maternal estrogen stimulates growth of fetus' endometrial lining
- After birth, estrogen wanes leading to an endometrial slough that results in a few days of bloody mucoid discharge or light vaginal bleeding
- Bleeding is self-limited and requires no treatment
- Exogenous estrogen
- Precocious puberty
- Bleeding out of synchrony with other signs of pubertal development or in a patient under the age of eight years warrants evaluation
- Hypothyroidism
- Neonatal hormonal withdrawal bleeding
- Nonhormonal
- Trauma
- Mechanisms include MVCs, straddle injuries, coitus
- Must consider sexual abuse
- Tumor
- Endodermal sinus tumors and rhabdomyosarcomas (including sarcoma botryoides)
- Present almost exclusively in girls under the age of three years with vaginal bleeding[1]
- If no obvious cause of bleeding is found in the ED, refer to a pediatric gynecologist for a complete workup including vaginoscopy
- Urethral prolapse
- Genital warts
- Lichen sclerosus
- Chronic, mucocutaneous inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology
- May have purpura, telangiectasias, and hematomas
- Most common presenting symptoms are vulvar and perineal itching, soreness, and pain with defecation
- Vulvovaginitis
- Poor hygiene, nonspecific irritants
- Bacterial infections
- Most commonly group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes)[2]
- Vaginal foreign body
Clinical Features
- Vaginal bleeding
- Prepubertal patient