Premature Ovarian Failure And Infertility!

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a condition that affects approximately 1 out of every 1000 women who are between 15-29 years of age.

This condition leads to stop in the normal functioning of ovaries in women younger than 40.

Some practitioners also uses a term primary ovarian failure to describe this condition.

Also, this condition is known as hypergonadotropic hypogonadism or premature menopause.

How to know that you have POF?

The first and the most common symptom in women with premature ovarian failure is irregular periods. Some women experience the symptoms similar to a menopausal woman, such as:

• Poor concentration


• Decrease in breast size


• Lack of breast development during puberty


• Irritability


• Hot flashes


• Night sweats


• Vaginal dryness


• Infertility


• Pain during intercourse


• Bladder problems


• Sleep problems


• Mood swings


• Decreased sexual desire

Some women with premature ovarian failure may also experience other health conditions and some of them are so serious. They include:

• Heart disease


• Osteoporosis


• Addison’s disease


• Low thyroid function

What kind of treatments help to overcome from the symptoms of POF?

Frankly speaking, there is no such treatment that can bring your ovaries to work normally. But there are some treatments that help to relieve some of the symptoms of POF.

Hormone replacement therapy is one of the most popular methods that help women with lower estrogen levels and other hormonal deficiencies. Hormonal therapies help women to have regular periods and also lower the risk of osteporosis. Testosterone therapy helps to prevent bone loss in women with premature ovarian failure.

Women with POF who want to have children can find various option such as donor eggs, fertility treatments or adopting a child. Some of the fertility treatments include:

• Danazol


• Human menopausal gondotropins (hMG)


• Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)


• Clomid


• Estradiol corticosteroids

What causes premature ovarian failure?

For most of the women, the cause of POF is unknown. Causes which are identified include:

• Genetics


• Eatingdisorders


• Turner syndrome


• Autoimmune disorders


• Viral infectionn


• Thyroid dysfunction


• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy


• Insufficient gondaotropin secretion or action


• Hysterectomy

About 10-20% of women with premature ovarian failure are due to family history. Women with POF are unlikely to become pregnant because their ovaries do not work properly. During these cases, there are no proven treatments that improve your fertility.