The transition of a female from childhood to adulthood is a complex process. The control of the onset of puberty is normally an uneventful sequence of events but disorders may lead to dysfunction in the menstrual cycle or be a symptom of other diseases, such as anorexia nervosa. Failure to establish puberty needs treatment in special- ist centres as does the management of primary amenorrhoea and the surgical aspects of this problem are referred to in the text. These disorders may be obstructive or due to congenital absence of the vagina. This article discusses some of the aspects of adolescent gynaecology, which illustrates the need for a specialist knowledge to manage these cases correctly.
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