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November 24, 2009
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Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) (cont.)

How many women have premature ovarian failure?

Premature ovarian failure affects approximately:

  • One in 10,000 women by age 20

  • One in 1,000 women by age 30

  • One in 250 women by age 35

  • One in 100 women by age 40

What are the symptoms of premature ovarian failure?

The most common first symptom of premature ovarian failure is having irregular periods. Health care providers sometimes dismiss irregular or skipped periods (sometimes called amenorrhea - pronounced AY-men-or-ee-uh) as being related to stress; but a woman's monthly cycle is actually an important sign of her health, in the same way that blood pressure or temperature are signs of health. If you have irregular periods or skip periods, you should tell your health care provider, so that he or she can begin to determine the cause of these problems.

Some women with premature ovarian failure also experience other symptoms with premature ovarian failure. These symptoms are similar to those experienced by women who are going through natural menopause and include (but are not limited to):

How do I know if I have premature ovarian failure?

One of the most common signs of premature ovarian failure is having irregular periods. Women should pay close attention to their menstrual cycles, so that they can alert their health care provider when changes occur in their periods.

If you are under age 40 and your periods are irregular, or if you miss your period altogether for three months or more, your health care provider may measure the level of FSH in your blood, to determine if you have primary ovarian insufficiency in its early stages, or possibly even fully developed premature ovarian failure. Remember that FSH signals the ovaries to make estrogen. If the ovaries are not working properly, as is the case in premature ovarian failure, the level of FSH in the blood increases. A higher level of FSH in the blood is a strong sign of premature ovarian failure. But, irregular periods alone are not a sure sign that you have premature ovarian failure - research shows that fewer than 10 percent of women who have irregular or skipped periods have high FSH levels and premature ovarian failure.

To do an FSH test, your health care provider will collect some of your blood and send it to a laboratory. At the lab, a technician will check the level of FSH. If the level of FSH is in the menopausal range, it is likely that you have premature ovarian failure.



Next: Are there treatments for the symptoms of premature ovarian failure? »

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