In 1959 I Had Recently Married (was A Virgin), And

Posted on Mon, 27 May 2019

Question: In 1959 I had recently married (was a virgin), and when I went to work at the hospital, my VDRL came back positive. My husband was negative. My subsequent spinal tap was positive, as well. I was put on Erythromycin for three months, but after one month, if my memory serves me, a retest was negative. No explanation for the false positive. Fast forward six months: my periods stopped for several months. I went to an ob/gyn who diagnosed me with Stein-Leventhal’s syndrome. He did a wedge resection of both ovaries, and I was able to have one normal pregnancy. My periods were regular until menopause (1994). In 1996 I had adenocarcinoma of the cervix with a complete hysterectomy. My question is whether the positive VDRL was a result of the Stein-Levanthal?

Answered by Dr. Dr. (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It may not be due to stein Leventhal syndrome.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

I have gone through your query and here is my advice.

As per your history, Positive VDRL report may not be due to stein Leventhal syndrome.

Usually positive VDRL report is seen in syphilis infection and Stein Leventhal syndrome i. e. Polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) usually caused due to insulin excess or hereditary.

It leads to hormonal imbalance, weight gain, acne and infertility in untreated cases. So as per my knowledge, there is no risk of syphilis through PCOS.

One more thing, VDRL is not a confirmatory test. There are chances of false positive results which should be confirmed with tests like treponemal antibody tests FTA ABS, TP PA and detailed medical examination. As False positive reports may seen in other infections also.

Hope I have answered your query and let me know if I can assist you further.... Thank you.

Regards,
Dr Shyam Kale.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj