Lauren Natalie Lee v. HHS - HPV, Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) (2016)

Lauren Natalie Lee, born October 13, 1982, filed a petition on April 2, 2014, alleging that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, administered in November and December 2006 and April 2007, caused her to develop Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, contended that the petition was filed outside the statutory time limit.

The Special Master, Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman, considered the statute of limitations, which requires petitions to be filed within 36 months of the first symptom or manifestation of the injury. Petitioner had a history of irregular menstruation since menarche at age 10, and had been prescribed hormonal oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) intermittently to regulate her cycles.

The medical records indicated that Petitioner began taking OCPs in 2006 specifically to regulate her menses. The Special Master determined that this need for OCPs in 2006 to regulate her menstrual cycle constituted the first symptom or manifestation of POI.

As the petition was filed on April 2, 2014, and the first symptom occurred in 2006, the Special Master found the claim to be time-barred. Consequently, Lauren Lee's petition was dismissed.

The decision was issued on June 2, 2016. Mark Krueger represented the petitioner, and Lara Englund represented the respondent.

The public decision does not describe the specific mechanism of causation alleged by the petitioner or detail any expert testimony beyond its relevance to the statute of limitations.