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.
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