Premature MenopausePremature 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.

 

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Were you diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Failure? At what age were you diagnosed? Were you successful at getting pregnant? At becoming a mom?