Chronic kidney disease (CKD) exacts a significant toll on a woman's sexuality and gynecologic health. The various effects of kidney failure and its treatments on women's sexual health from adolescence through menopause will be the topic of an in-depth series of presentations at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Women whose kidneys are failing experience hormonal changes that can have numerous adverse effects on the body. In a program moderated by Margaret J. Bia, MD, of the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and Denyse Thornley-Brown, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, experts will explore the sexual life cycle of women with CKD and discuss the medical impacts that kidney disease has on their sexuality from childhood through advanced age.
Lynne P. Yao, MD, of the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in Fairfax, Virginia, will highlight the latest information on issues of adolescence, revealing the abnormalities that can develop in girls with CKD. These children are particularly vulnerable and can experience impaired growth and abnormal menstrual cycles due to altered metabolism and hormone deficits. Physicians face a number of challenges that are unique to treating these patients.
Next, Tracy Breen, MD, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City will discuss how CKD can contribute to ovarian failure and premature menopause. Because kidney disease disrupts the balance of hormones produced by the body, women with the condition can experience symptoms of menopause at a young age.