IMPORTANT UPDATES

Pre-teen girl smiling in clinic

At Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our pediatric-trained team is experienced in the medical and surgical management of girls with a wide range of gynecology issues, including:

  • Birth control for medically complex patients
  • Congenital anomalies (birth defects) of the reproductive tract, including vaginal agenesis, uterine abnormalities, labial hypertrophy, vaginal septum, and absent vagina and/or uterus
  • Disorders of sex development, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia and Turner syndrome
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Hymen problems, including imperforate, microperforate and septate hymen
  • Labial adhesions
  • Menstrual problems, including amenorrhea (absence of menses), irregular menses, heavy menses and dysmenorrhea (pelvic pain)
  • Ovarian/pelvic masses
  • Pelvic pain, including painful menses and endometriosis
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Premature ovarian failure
  • Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Puberty abnormalities (early or delayed)
  • Reproductive health concerns of girls with cancer or blood disorders
  • Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
  • Toxic shock syndrome (TSS)
  • Trauma or other injuries to the genitalia
  • Vulvar ulcers or lesions
  • Vulvovaginitis (prepubertal and pubertal)

For adolescents who meet the following criteria, we recommend seeking care at our Adolescent Medicine Clinic, located at Hughes Spalding Hospital, or an external gynecologist.

  • Current patients >16 years old with controlled symptoms and no complex medical issues.
  • New patients >16 years old who are seeking contraception counseling or have irregular periods, vulvovaginitis or dysmenorrhea.

Our team is sensitive to the unique emotional and psychological needs of our gynecology patients and their families. We offer the following services to girls from birth to age 18:

  • Evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents with gynecologic conditions
  • Full scope of gynecologic surgeries to treat conditions including, but not limited to, ovarian cysts, vaginal problems, reproductive tract abnormalities and endometriosis
  • Laparoscopic surgery
  • Hormone replacement therapy
  • Fertility preservation discussions prior to cancer treatment

Multispecialty clinics

At Children’s, we embrace collaboration among our pediatric specialists. Through this collaboration, our pediatric gynecologists participate in the following clinics:

  • Differences of sex development: A dedicated case manager provides coordinated care across specialties and serves as the primary contact for children with differences of sexual development from birth into young adulthood. 
  • Pelvic and Anorectal Care Program: Our team cares for children with surgical diseases resulting in constipation, diarrhea, soiling and/or pain as a consequence of the disease.
  • Turner Syndrome Clinic: A multidisciplinary clinic to meet the medical and surgical needs of children with Turner Syndrome

Our pediatric gynecology team, led by Nancy Sokkary, MD, Division Chief of Gynecology, collaborates with other pediatric specialties within Children’s, including general surgery, urology, hematology/oncology, endocrinology, reproductive endocrinology, pelvic and anorectal malformations, and pain management, to address reproductive health concerns.

Children’s offers outpatient gynecology services at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics and the Medical Office Building at Scottish Rite Hospital. Surgical procedures are performed at our Egleston and Scottish Rite hospitals.