Adolescent Medicine and Teen Health

About the Adolescent Medicine Program  

Adolescence is a unique period in a person’s development between childhood and adulthood. Adolescents can experience dramatic physical, emotional and cognitive changes as they mature, which presents them and their families with unique challenges. Our Adolescent Medicine Program offers a full range of compassionate care for this unique time. Our experts serve as primary care providers, consultants on specific medical and health issues and support teenagers and young adults through their challenges and opportunities.

What to expect from our adolescent medicine care

Whether your child is seeing our experts for primary care or consultation for a specific condition, our multidisciplinary team is here to improve each teen’s health and wellness. For your first visit, you should expect a comprehensive evaluation, including:

• A complete medical and family history evaluation
• A physical examination
• Assessments by other members of our multidisciplinary team, if needed

Based on what we see in your first visit, your care team will prepare a treatment plan and next steps just for you or your child.

Why choose us for adolescent medicine care   

At Children's Colorado, we know that teens deserve special attention and that the best care considers all aspects of their health. Our adolescent medicine team provides primary and specialty care by board-certified experts with decades of experience caring for adolescents and young adults. We specialize in meeting adolescents’ physical, emotional, mental, sexual and reproductive health needs, all under one roof. The adolescent medicine team at Children’s Colorado works closely with other specialists in the hospital to ensure your teen is not only receiving the best care possible, but treatment tailored specifically for their needs. 

We center the needs of adolescents in our care decisions, and partner closely with parents and other care providers to give teens and families excellent services. That includes BC4U, a free and private sexual and reproductive health clinic.

Who we treat in the Adolescent Medicine Program

Typically, we care for teens and young adults between the ages of 12 and 23. For certain conditions, such as eating disorders and dysautonomia, we care for kids younger than 12. We also provide reproductive and sexual health treatment for young adults until 25.

Our experts provide care for numerous issues and conditions, including:

• Delayed or atypical puberty
• Irregular, heavy or painful menstrual periods
• Challenges focusing at school, home or work
• Behavioral challenges impacting school attendance or relationships with family
• Trouble gaining weight, unexplained weight loss or excessive weight gain
• Eating disorders
• Abdominal pain that isn’t getting better with typical care
• Fatigue, dizziness or fainting episodes
• Depression and anxiety
• Sleep difficulties
• Birth control, sexual health and screening for sexually transmitted infections
• Assistance with transitioning to adulthood, including transferring to the adult health care system
• Primary care (general medical care, including acute or urgent issues)

Adolescent medicine frequently asked questions (FAQs)

These frequently asked questions about teen health can help adolescents and parents better understand how adolescent medicine can help keep their teenager healthy and happy.

What is adolescent medicine?

Adolescent medicine is a part of pediatrics that focuses on the medical and emotional issues specific to teenagers and young adults, including puberty, sexuality, identity, mental health and social and emotional development.

Adolescent medicine providers can help teens and young adults in many different situations. For example, a teen coping with cancer may also be facing anxiety and depression issues requiring medication. Their pediatrician may not be equipped to effectively manage the mental health aspect of their cancer treatment process. That's where our specialists step in. Here, our program has the experience and resources to fully support teens in these unique situations.

Do you offer telehealth visits?

While we like to see all new adolescents in person, our experts will work with families to schedule telehealth follow-up visits when appropriate. We prefer to care for some conditions in person. You can work with your care team to make these decisions.

Do doctors specialize in teen health?

Yes, doctors such as ours become board-certified through extra training in adolescent medicine. They can serve as primary care doctors for teens or as specialists for adolescent health issues such as sexual and reproductive health, menstrual disorders, eating disorders, chronic fatigue, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), autonomic dysfunction, anxiety, depression and disordered sleeping. Adolescent medicine specialists can also treat complex physical symptoms that haven’t improved through previous care. These may include chest pain, chronic dizziness, abdominal pain, headaches and nausea.

Do I need a referral for the Adolescent Medicine Program?

Some insurance plans require referrals, so it is best to check with your insurance provider. We don’t require referrals for primary care.

Will my teen meet with the provider alone?

Yes, we will make time to meet with you or your child alone. This is a standard part of our care and a best practice to build trust and open communication around sensitive topics. We will continue to include parents and caregivers in the treatment plan and summarize visits together. We treat minors for some issues confidentially, according to Colorado law, including reproductive, sexual and behavioral health. 

Contact the Adolescent Medicine Program

We provide primary and consultative care at the Children's Colorado Health Pavilion, Aurora. For any questions or to schedule an appointment, please call: 720-777-6131

A free shuttle runs between our hospital in Aurora and the Ronald McDonald House (next door to the Health Pavilion) and is available on demand. To request a shuttle, call: 720-313-9357.

We provide consultative services at other locations when our care team is available and it’s better for families. Please talk to your care team about receiving care at other locations.