Vascular Malformation Enlargement During Menopause

Vascular malformations enlarge overtime, particularly during adolescence when follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) rises. Lesions contain the receptor for follicle-stimulating hormone. FSH also becomes elevated during menopause. We present a patient with a venous malformation of the lip that presented for the first time after she entered menopause which was temporally related to a significant increase in her serum FSH levels that were measured. This observation supports the hypothesis that FSH might influence the pathophysiology of vascular malformations. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Arin K. Greene, MD, MMSc, Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115; E-mail: arin.greene@childrens.harvard.edu Received 1 July, 2017 Accepted 18 January, 2018 The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. © 2018 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.

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