Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Program

The Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (PAG) Program provides a much-needed service to meet the needs of underserved children and adolescents from birth to 21 years of age and young adults who have complex reconstructive needs. This program provides specialty expertise and comprehensive medical and surgical care focused on the diagnosis, medical treatment, emotional support, and surgical management of pediatric and adolescent patients. The PAG Program supports patients across the spectrum of gynecology care from common conditions such as heavy menstrual bleeding or irregular periods to more complex surgical conditions such as structural differences of the female reproductive tract.

What Sets Us Apart

Meet Our Providers

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Meagan A. Bernatz, NP

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Krista J. Childress, MD

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Katherine G. Hayes, MD

Conditions & Treatments

Our providers offer a wide range of services to diagnose and treat conditions that affect the female reproductive system. From rare congenital anomalies to the most common female conditions, we provide treatment and care from birth through childhood, adolescents and into young adulthood We understand that many of the conditions we see are sensitive topics, especially for children and adolescents dealing with physical and emotional changes in their lives. We partner with pediatric psychologists and child life specialists to provide emotional support in addition to medical care to ensure psychosocial well-being along with physical well-being.

Services we offer:

  • Preventative reproductive health guidance, counseling and screening.
  • Total gynecologic care throughout the reproductive lifespan with faculty who help transition young adults to the adult gynecologists within University of Utah or Intermountain Health system.
  • Age-appropriate evaluation and treatment for both common and unique gynecologic diagnoses
  • Surgical treatment for conditions such as ovarian cysts/masses, ovarian torsion, reproductive tract anomalies, and endometriosis. We pride ourselves in being skilled minimally invasive surgeons.
  • Surgical consultation with multidisciplinary teams and specialties including pediatric surgery, pediatric urology, colorectal surgery, and plastic surgery.
  • Specialized pediatric and adolescent gynecology clinics for patients with reproductive health concerns in, but not limited to, cancer and blood disorders, fertility preservation, comprehensive care program, differences of sex differentiation, anorectal malformations, ovarian failure associated with both genetic conditions and when induced by medications/treatments.

Common conditions

  • Ovarian cysts and tumors
  • Heavy and irregular menstrual bleeding
  • Painful periods
  • Endometriosis
  • Mullerian (uterine, cervical, and vaginal) congenital anomalies
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
  • Contraceptive counseling
  • Primary ovarian insufficiency (ovarian failure)
  • Vulvovaginitis
  • Gender affirming (Transgender) reproductive care (for people who menstruate, can become pregnant, s/p post-vaginoplasty)
  • Gynecologic care for cancer patients (fertility preservation, menstrual suppression, survivorship)
  • Survivorship care for cancer patients
  • Gynecologic care for patients with hereditary cancer syndromes

Pediatric specific conditions

  • Pediatric vulvovaginitis
  • Lichen sclerosus
  • Genital injuries/trauma 
  • Labial adhesions
  • Prepubertal vaginal bleeding
  • Precocious puberty

Congenital anomalies of the reproductive tract (medical and surgical)

  • Uterine and vaginal agenesis (Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome or MRKH)
  • Imperforate hymen
  • Distal vaginal agenesis 
  • Uterine anomalies 
  • Vaginal septum (transverse and longitudinal)
  • Ambiguous genitalia
  • Differences of sex differentiation
  • Neovagina creation (vaginal agenesis)
  • Obstructive Mullerian anomalies 

Other gynecologic conditions

  • Primary amenorrhea (no periods)
  • Secondary amenorrhea (no periods after previously having periods)
  • Vulvar ulcers
  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
  • Ovarian torsion
  • Chronic pelvic pain
  • Ovarian failure
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Breast problems
  • Early or delayed puberty
  • Menstrual suppression for medically complex patients

Procedures We Offer

  • IUD (intrauterine device) and Nexplanon (arm implant) insertion in clinic and procedure center
  • Laparoscopic procedures: ovarian cystectomies, ovarian torsion, pelvic mass resection, uterine anomalies
  • Laparoscopy for diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis
  • Vaginal anomalies: hymen abnormalities, vaginal septum resection, vaginal stenosis, vaginoplasty, neovagina creation
  • Hysteroscopy to evaluate the uterus
  • Fertility preservation procedures including ovarian tissue harvest and ovarian transposition
  • Uterine and ovarian malignancies (in collaboration with pediatric surgery and oncology)

If you didn’t find the condition you were looking for, please contact us at 801-662-1717 to discuss your needs.

What to expect at your clinic visit

In gynecology, we deal with very sensitive issues and the nature of our work requires a special level of trust between providers, parents/guardians, and patients. We pride ourselves in providing individualized care to our young patients which often includes private conversations without a guardian/parent present. This allows us to build a trusting relationship between the adolescent and their provider. During your visit, the parent/guardian will be asked to leave the room if the patient desires to allow these private conversations. The initial visit may or may not include a genital examination depending on the reason for the visit. We promise we do our best to make your child and family as comfortable as possible during this unique and important reproductive health visit. We encourage you to speak up with any questions or concerns.

Prior to your visit…

We request that you have all prior labs, notes, and imaging done at other facilities for the symptoms that you are seeing us for faxed to our office prior to your appointment. Alternatively, you can request a physical copy of these tests from your provider to bring to your appointment. Having these records prior to your scheduled appointment will help with timely diagnosis and treatment. Examples of imaging and tests that we request are listed below. If you have questions about our clinic receiving documents from your referring provider, please call us at 801-662-1717.

Tests & Imaging 

The goal of performing certain tests (such as labs and/or imaging) is to help make an accurate diagnosis and initiate timely treatments. We understand that imaging and tests can cause anxiety for patients and families, and therefore we strive to only order tests that are required to provide comprehensive reproductive care. Examples of tests and imaging that may be performed:

  • Physical Examination: A simple visual inspection of the external genitalia may be included during your visit depending on the reason for your visit. Some examples include vaginal discharge, difficulty with tampon insertion, vaginal abnormality and labial adhesions. An internal vaginal examination will only be performed based on patient symptoms and comfort with this examination.
  • Blood Test: Tests that may be ordered include hormone labs for diagnoses such as irregular periods and hematology labs for those presenting with heavy menstrual bleeding.
  • Urine Test: You may be asked to provide a routine urine sample to rule out urinary tract infection or sexually transmitted infections depending on your symptoms.
  • Imaging Tests: These tests will not be performed on the day of your clinic visit
    • Abdominal pelvic ultrasound: an ultrasound done on the abdomen is a common imaging study ordered to assess the uterus and ovaries. We do not order ultrasounds done via the vagina.
    • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): this imaging study is the highest standard for evaluating uterine/vaginal anomalies and ovarian masses that are not made clear enough on pelvic ultrasound.

For Healthcare & Referring Providers

We strive to provide expedited diagnosis and treatment for your patients. When referring patients, please ensure they have copies of documents including any imaging studies and lab tests that were performed for their symptoms. We also request that you fax or email any pertinent information to:

385-297-2022 Fax

If you have questions about the care of your patient or desire a peer-to-peer consult, please do not hesitate to call our clinic or the physician access line at 844-662-1662 option 3 
to speak with one of our gynecology providers. We are not able to provide your patients with clinical recommendations or prescriptions until they are an established patient in our clinic. We truly appreciate all of you and look forward to collaboration and caring for your patients!

Patient Resources