Martha Hickey

OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) capture patients' experiences and perspectives of symptoms. One approach involves measuring the "most bothersome symptom," an outcome recommended in some regulatory guidance and core outc…

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of heavy menstrual bleeding among Australian women from young adulthood to midlife (22-48 years) and investigate the characteristics of women who experience this condition; to investigate the relations…

BACKGROUND: Endometrioma are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. Laparoscopic management of endometriomas is associated with shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, and decreased hospital costs compared with laparotomy. The previous ve…

OBJECTIVE: Risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (RRBSO) substantially reduces ovarian cancer risk in women with pathogenic gene variants and is generally recommended by age 34-45 years. Natural menopause is a vulnerable period for …

INTRODUCTION: As cancer treatments may impact on fertility, a high priority for young patients with breast cancer is access to evidence-based, personalised information for them and their healthcare providers to guide treatment and fertility…

INTRODUCTION: BRCA1/2 gene mutations increase risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer and may have implications for reproductive health. Indirect biomarkers of the ovarian primordial follicle pool (anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)) and one small s…

BACKGROUND: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a significant health problem in premenopausal women; it can reduce their quality of life and can cause social disruption and physical problems such as iron deficiency anaemia. First-line treatme…

Hickey, Martha BA (Hons), MSc, MBChB, FRCOG, FRANZCOG, MD; Richards, Anthony M. MBBS, MRMed, MBA, RANZCOG, CGO Author Information

BACKGROUND: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is an important physical and social problem for women. Oral treatment for HMB includes antifibrinolytic drugs, which are designed to reduce bleeding by inhibiting clot-dissolving enzymes in the end…

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a significant social and public health issue for menstruating women. Development of targeted treatments has been limited by poor understanding of local mechanisms underlying HMB. We aimed to determine how g…

STUDY QUESTION: Does the changing molecular profile of the endometrium during menstruation correlate with the histological profile of menstruation. SUMMARY ANSWER: We identified several genes not previously associated with menstruation; on…

BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids cause heavy prolonged bleeding, pain, pressure symptoms and subfertility. The traditional method of treatment has been surgery as medical therapies have not proven effective. Uterine artery embolization has been…

Despite the prevalence of uterine fibroids (Fs), few studies have investigated the links between clinical features and the cellular or molecular mechanisms that drive F growth and development. Such knowledge will ultimately help to differen…

Continuous combined hormone therapy (HT) is effective for menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness but commonly leads to unscheduled vaginal bleeding and spotting. Unscheduled bleeding is disliked by women and may lead to invasive …

Whilst use of estrogen-containing hormone therapy (HT) has declined in recent years, it is still used by a significant minority of women and remains the most effective way of treating menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness. Unsch…

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in developed countries, and 12% of breast cancer occurs in women 20-34 years. Survival from breast cancer has significantly improved, and the potential late effects of treatment a…

BACKGROUND: Bilateral oophorectomy is commonly performed at the time of hysterectomy for benign disease. Indications for oophorectomy vary, but in most cases relatively little high-quality information is available to inform the surgeon or p…

Hormone therapy is highly effective for the treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness, but commonly leads to unscheduled vaginal bleeding and spotting. This frequently leads to invasive investigations to exclude underly…

BACKGROUND: Endometriomata are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. The surgical management of these blood filled cysts is controversial. The laparoscopic approach to the management of endometriomata is favoured over a laparotomy approa…

BACKGROUND: Abnormal bleeding is common in hormone therapy (HT) users. We aimed to determine how HT alters endometrial blood vessels and stromal factors known to regulate vascular growth and integrity. METHODS: Prospective observational st…

Abnormal bleeding is a common reason for discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy. There is little consensus regarding when to investigate abnormal bleeding, what to do about persistent bleeding or when reinvestigation is indicated. T…