The Monthly Effusion

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A 33-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with a 3-day history of right-sided chest pain and worsening shortness of breath. She describes the pain as “sharp” and notes it worsens with deep inspiration, radiating to her right shoulder. She mentions that her symptoms started concurrently with the second day of her menstrual cycle. Her past medical history is significant for severe dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain, for which she takes ibuprofen as needed. She has no prior history of respiratory disease, is a lifelong non-smoker, and has no recent travel or sick contacts. She appears uncomfortable and is breathing shallowly. She is afebrile. Her blood pressure is 118/76 mmHg with a heart rate of 98 bpm, a respiratory rate of 22 breaths per minute, and an oxygen saturation of 96% on room air.


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