Faculty Bibliography

Early identification of HIV by increasing testing is a national priority; however, little is known about HIV testing behaviors in high school age adolescents. We examined the association of individual, partner, and relationship factors with HIV testing using a computer-assisted survey administered from 2003 to 2006 in a community sample of 980 sexually active 14- to 17-year-olds (56% female, 55% Latino, 25% African American) living in a jurisdiction with a high AIDS burden. Twenty percent reported their first sexual encounter as having occurred when they were <13 years of age, 33% had had four or more lifetime sexual partners, 21% reported high partner HIV-risk behavior, and 428 (44%) had been tested for HIV. In our final regression model, independent associations with HIV testing included being female (OR=1.68 [1.23-2.30]), older (OR=1.41 [1.21-1.65]), and having had four or more lifetime sexual partners (OR=2.24 [1.64-3.05]). The strongest independent predictor of HIV testing was having high HIV-related partner communication (OR=3.70 [2.77-4.94]). Being in a serious committed relationship (OR=1.39 [1.02-1.87]) was also independently associated with HIV testing, whereas reporting high worry about HIV/AIDS (OR=0.53 [0.40-0.71]) was independently negatively associated with HIV testing. High HIV/AIDS knowledge, high partner HIV risk behavior, and young age at first sexual encounter were not associated with testing. These findings suggest that, for high school aged adolescents, optimal strategies to promote HIV testing should look beyond increasing HIV/AIDS knowledge and identifying individual risk behaviors to also considering the role of partners and relationships and their influence on testing behavior.

Psychiatric disorders are common in adolescent girls and may require chronic therapies with psychotropic medications. Antipsychotic medications and mood stabilizers have been increasingly prescribed to and widely used by adolescents for a variety of both "on" an "off" label indications. Studies on the safety and monitoring of these medications in adolescent girls have shown important potential for gynecologic and reproductive adverse effects. The objective of this article is to review the mechanisms for and management of menstrual disorders mediated by hyperprolactinemia associated with antipsychotic medications, hypothyroidism associated with lithium and quetiapine, and the independent association of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in girls using valproic acid. Beyond their susceptibility to these disruptions in the menstrual cycle, adolescent girls with psychiatric illness also have increased sexual risk behaviors. These behaviors makes it all the more important to review teratogenicity and clinically relevant contraceptive drug interactions in adolescent girls using these psychotropic medications.

Menstrual bleeding that falls outside the range of normal in adolescents is often a cause of great concern for both girls and their families. Often, much of this anxiety can be alleviated with proper anticipatory guidance about menarche and early menstrual bleeding patterns. Eliciting a menstrual history from an adolescent girl is challenging, and the use of concrete methods to chart their patterns and flow, such as menstrual calendars and pictorial bleeding assessment calendar (PBAC) tools, may be helpful. The importance of obtaining a confidential history from the adolescent girl cannot be overestimated. A confidential sexual history is essential so that pregnancy and infectious causes of bleeding are addressed. Not all menstrual bleeding in young girls is attributable to immaturity of the HPO axis. Anovulation and DUB from other clinically relevant conditions in adolescent girls must also be considered. Chief among these is PCOS, which should always be ruled out when a girl presents with excessive bleeding associated with clinical signs of hyperandrogenism, obesity, or insulin resistance. Attention must also be paid to signs or a family history of a bleeding disorder, as vWD is commonly associated with excessive uterine bleeding. Importantly, the laboratory testing for both PCOS and vWD is affected by therapies for the excessive bleeding, and it should be performed before hormonal interventions or blood products are administered or during the placebo phase if treatment has begun. Management goals for excessive uterine bleeding include stabilizing the endometrium and stopping further blood loss, as well as preventing future uncontrolled blood loss. Hormonal stabilization of the endometrium is often helpful regardless of the cause of bleeding and especially in those with hormonally mediated anovulation. New antifibrinolytics, such as tranexamic acid, may also be helpful in the emergent setting and in adolescents with bleeding disorders.