Dr. Lauren Amos Receives Award to Study Treatment of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Adolescents
Lauren E. Amos, MD, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, was recently awarded a one-year, $50,000 research funding agreement from Cascade Hemophilia Consortium.
Dr. Amos’ “Combination Therapy in Adolescents to Treat Heavy Menstrual Bleeding-Review of Charts to Observe Treatment Patterns” (also called COMBATT HMB-RECON) project will collect treatment data for heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescent females with bleeding disorders. The study will evaluate the use of combined oral contraceptive pills and the medication tranexamic acid.
Although common, heavy menstrual bleeding in females can be a cause of emotional distress, adverse mental health outcomes and decreased quality of life. While oral contraceptives and tranexamic acid may be used either individually or in combination to treat the condition, there is no consensus on the standard of care and a lack of information on the effectiveness of the treatment approaches. In addition, safety concerns remain about the risk of blood clots when combining estrogen and tranexamic acid.
In her research study, Dr. Amos will evaluate the effectiveness of treating heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents who have inherited bleeding disorders. She will also evaluate the safety of using oral contraceptives and tranexamic acid and the risk of blood clots, or thromboembolism.
“This retrospective study is the first step to providing much-needed evidence on the effectiveness of treating heavy menstrual bleeding with oral contraceptives and tranexamic acid to reduce first-line treatment failure and improve the mental health for girls with heavy menstrual bleeding and bleeding disorders,” says Dr. Amos.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City is an independent, non-profit, 390-bed pediatric health system, providing over half a million patient encounters each year for children from across the country. Children’s Mercy is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in all ten specialties. We have received Magnet® recognition five times for excellence in nursing services. In affiliation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City, our faculty of nearly 800 pediatric specialists and researchers is actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and educating the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. The Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) integrates research and clinical care with nationally recognized expertise in genomic medicine, precision therapeutics, population health, health care innovation and emerging infections. In 2021 the CMRI moved into a nine-story, 375,000-square-foot space emphasizing a translational approach to research in which clinicians and researchers work together to accelerate the pace of discovery that enhances care.