Emergency gynaecology

1. Big picture

Emergency gynaecology deals with acute conditions in non-pregnant, possibly pregnant, early pregnant, adolescent, reproductive-age, and postmenopausal patients that can rapidly threaten life, fertility, or future reproductive function.

The safest exam opening is:

Any reproductive-age woman with acute pelvic pain or vaginal bleeding
        ↓
Is pregnant until proven otherwise
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Do ABCDE, pregnancy test, haemodynamic assessment
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Resuscitate first if unstable
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Then localize: bleeding / pain / infection / mass / trauma

The examiner wants you to recognize five emergency patterns:

| Emergency pattern | Thin