Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) (cont.)
Does having premature ovarian failure mean that I'll be infertile or unable to have children?
If you have premature ovarian failure, it will likely be very difficult for
you to become pregnant because your ovaries aren't working correctly. At this time, there is
no proven medical treatment that improves a woman's ability to have a baby
naturally if she has premature ovarian failure.
There is a chance that you will become pregnant without
fertility treatment. Between 5 percent and 10 percent of women with premature
ovarian failure do
become pregnant, even though they have not had fertility treatment. Sometimes
pregnancy can occur
decades after the initial diagnosis. Researchers cannot explain why some women
with premature ovarian failure get pregnant, while others do not.
Because pregnancy is still possible for women who have
premature ovarian failure, those who do not want to become pregnant should take steps to prevent
pregnancy. In some women with premature ovarian failure, oral contraception may not be as effective
for pregnancy prevention as it is in women who don't have premature ovarian
failure. In some cases,
using a "barrier" method of contraception, such as a
diaphragm or a
condom, may be a better option for women
with premature ovarian failure who don't want to become pregnant. Discuss your contraception needs
with your health care provider, if you have premature ovarian failure and don't want to become
pregnant.
If you have premature ovarian failure and want to become pregnant, you and
your family have some options, explained below. You should also know, however,
that some medical therapies for infertility have been proven ineffective,
through randomized clinical trials. These therapies include high-dose estrogen
therapy, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist therapy, corticosteroid therapy,
high-dose GnRH therapy, and treatment with
Danocrine. Health care providers
recommend avoiding unproven fertility treatments because such methods may
actually reduce your chances of getting pregnant naturally.
A special note about infertility associated with premature ovarian failure
Many women involved in premature ovarian failure support groups reported
that, when they were diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, they felt a sense of loss or grief, not unlike the sadness
associated with the death of a loved one. Others reported that they felt guilty
about not trying to have children earlier in their lives. They noted that the
diagnosis also affected their partners, spouses, and families. For women with
premature ovarian failure and their families, then, emotional support may be as important as medical
treatment for dealing with premature ovarian failure.
Health care providers who care for women with premature ovarian failure often have to reassure
their patients that these emotional responses are perfectly natural reactions to
the news of premature ovarian failure. Some health care providers suggest taking time to deal with the
diagnosis and the emotions that surround it, before making any decisions about
having a family.
Many providers recommend that women with premature ovarian failure and their families work with a
"professional listener" to help deal with the powerful and sometimes painful
emotions associated with this diagnosis. A social worker, a psychologist, a
psychiatrist, or another mental health
professional can work with a woman individually, together with a spouse,
partner, or a family member, or in some combination of these arrangements.
Many women in support group settings reported that talking to other women who
had premature ovarian failure was helpful in coming to terms with their diagnosis. Many hospitals and
health clinics offer support groups for women and families affected by premature
ovarian failure.
What are my options for having a child?
Families affected by premature ovarian failure do have options for having a child. As
mentioned earlier, avoid unproven fertility treatments and treatments that have
been proven ineffective because such methods may actually reduce your chances of
getting pregnant naturally.
Adopting a child is one option for starting a family if you have premature
ovarian failure.
Adoption can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime; but the
process is not without risks. Many health care providers recommend that families
considering adoption learn about the process, its benefits and risks, and its
legal aspects, in addition to the possible emotional effects, before making a
decision.
A certain type of assisted reproductive technology
(ART), known as egg
donation, may also be an option for having a child. In premature ovarian failure, the problem is in
producing healthy eggs; the condition does not affect a woman's uterus, which
means she may be able to carry a child. Egg donation makes it possible to
combine donor eggs and sperm in a laboratory, and then place the resulting
embryos into the uterus of a woman who has premature ovarian failure.
All forms of ART are complex, and each carries its own benefits and risks,
some of them serious. Because few insurance companies currently provide coverage
for this procedure, families may have to cover the entire cost of the process.
And, many families have to try ART several times before it is successful. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides statistics on success
rates of ART procedures based on different factors.
If you and your family are considering ART, talking with a health care
provider and/or a fertility specialist about the risks and benefits may help you
make your final decision.
In addition, researchers are actively working to develop methods that improve
fertility in women with premature ovarian failure and other conditions. As such methods and treatments
improve, women with premature ovarian failure and their families may have more options for having
children naturally.
Next: What are researchers doing to learn more about premature ovarian failure? »
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