The sexual life of woman in its physiological, pathological and hygienic aspectsKisch, E. Heinrich (Enoch Heinrich)
Science
The sexual life of woman in its physiological, pathological and hygienic aspects
Kisch, E. Heinrich (Enoch Heinrich)
Gynecology; Menstruation; Women -- Diseases
Amenorrhœa at the time of the menarche may depend on complete aplasia of
the ovaries, associated with a rudimentary and imperfect development of
the uterus. In such girls, the development of whose reproductive system
is thus imperfect, the continually expected menstrual flow fails to
appear, in spite of the fact that a recurrent menstrual discomfort,
evoked by the congestion of the genital organs, recurs at intervals of
four weeks; as, for instance, colicky pains in the abdomen, irritable,
nervous states, and mental disturbances. Further, amenorrhœa may be due
to one of the various forms of atresia of the genital organs, as for
instance to vaginal or hymeneal atresia. In such individuals the first
period passes by without anything to attract attention. But at the
second period, distress will usually be manifested; and from this time
forward, painful contractions of the uterus will continue to occur at
four-weekly intervals, and to become more violent as period succeeds
period, whilst the menstrual discharge is wanting, or, to speak
strictly, fails to find an outlet. The blood collects behind the seat of
atresia, and the accumulation gives rise to pressure symptoms affecting
the bladder and the rectum, and ultimately also the sacral nerves.
Menstruation, after its first appearance in normal fashion, may be
suppressed in young girls in consequence of mental impressions, such as
sudden fright; such cases are observed after an escape from a fire, or
after a railway accident. Mental stimuli of less intensity but longer
duration have a similar effect; sometimes these take the form of
auto-suggestion. A well-known instance of the latter phenomenon is
furnished by the case of a girl who, in consequence either of actual
intercourse or it may be merely of too intimate an embrace with a man,
fears she has become pregnant, and actually suffers from amenorrhœa
though pregnancy does not really exist. I saw a case in which amenorrhœa
was thus produced in a girl seventeen years of age, whose ideas on the
process of sexual intercourse were still far from clear. She had
permitted a young man to kiss her repeatedly and fervently, and to clasp
her in a close embrace. She was then afraid that she had become
pregnant; the catamenial flow, which had been regular since she was
fifteen years old, ceased to appear; and it was not until at length I
was consulted, was able to assure myself that the girl was essentially
virgin, and was, therefore, in a position to reassure her as to her own
condition, that menstruation again became regular.
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