Premature ovarian failure goes by many names–premature ovarian insufficiency, primary ovarian insufficiency, diminished ovarian reserves, and premature menopause, but basically they all refer to loss of normal ovarian function before age 40. You may have symptoms, such as the abnormal or absent menstrual periods, hot flashes, and irritability, but you may have no symptoms at all.
Causes of Premature Ovarian Failure
We talked about various causes for diminished ovarian reserves on this week’s Creating a Family Radio show. They include:
- Genetic conditions (Turner’s Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome)
- Surgery on the Ovaries
- Chemotherapy or Radiation treatment
- Smoking
- Auto-Immune Disorders
- Endometriosis (We discussed current research, which may show a link.)
- Unknown
Treatment for Premature Ovarian Failure
Treatment options depend upon what symptoms you are treating. Symptoms caused by a lack of estrogen, such as osteoporosis or vaginal dryness, may be helped with hormone replacement therapy. The other primary symptom, infertility, is harder to treat, and success using the woman’s own eggs depends a lot on age and how much the ovarian reserves have diminished.
There is hope for the future. Dr. Mark Perloe, with Georgia Reproductive Specialists, and Dr. Benjamin Leader, with Reprosource, talked about some exciting research on the horizon for various treatment options which may change the future for women with premature menopause on this week’s Creating a Family radio show on Causes, Treatment, & Prevention of Premature Ovarian Failure.
Were you diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure? At what age were you diagnosed? Were you successful at getting pregnant? At becoming a mom?
hi, I have dealt with POF since I was 19. That’s when I went to a doctor because I hadn’t had a period in 6 months. My life has been a roller coaster since. They didn’t diagnose me until I was 25 and had major night sweats and difficulty sleeping. Initially all they said is that it was normal for young women to have irregular periods and to take birth control. I did that until I turned 25 and had those other inexplicable symptoms. Them they suggested hormone replacement. I tried bio identical hormone replacement treatment for a year, and it was torture. At times I felt worse than if I wasn’t taking it. Waking up in blood and having mood swings and major anxiety and panic attacks. So I tried acupuncture for a year. Just the acupuncture and no hormones seemed to help me more than the hormones. At least in controlling my anxiety and helping with sleep. But my hope was to get a period. So after a year of acupuncture and no period, I moved on to homeopathic treatment. I did that for a year, and it helped with anxiety like the acupuncture, my sleep was better also, but still no period. I’m 29 years old and at my young age, and 10 years fighting with this night,mare of never ending menopause I have bone loss and am still fighting anxiety and sleep issues. I read your article and wanted to share my story. Do you know of any support groups for women like me?
Vanessa, I’m sorry to hear of your struggle. There are several women, probably quite a few, on the Creating a Family Facebook Support Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/creatingafamily/) It’s a closed Facebook group so that only those in the group can see the posts.