What is Premature Ovarian Failure?

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is when the ovaries stop working. For most women, this process happen naturally in their early 50’s and is referred to as menopause, so Premature Ovarian Failure is essentially a type of early onset menopause. The average age of women experiencing this is 27. It results in a loss of estrogen production and a rise in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The only way to be correctly diagnosed with this condition is to be without a period for 4 months and have two follicle-stimulating hormone test done one month apart that show elevated levels and you must also be under the age of 40.

It may seem someone arbitrary or odd to have to be under the age of 40 to be diagnosed with it, but it is actually because normal menopause can occur as early as age 40. After age 40, women experience a decline in fertility that is much higher that women in their 30’s, so 40 years old was designated as the diagnostic cutoff age. Menopause occurring at age 40 would be considered early menopause, but not Premature Ovarian Failure.

For a lot of women experiencing it, the diagnoses can be very hard emotionally. The vast majority of women grow up thinking they would one day like to have a family of their own and this diagnosis can be devastating. Well meaning friends and family may try to console them with well meant intentions such as ‘you can always adopt’, but an unexpected and early menopause is difficult to take in all at once. Fortunately there are support groups available to help with the grieving process.

This condition is not considered a rare disorder because it affects about 1 in 1,000 women 15-29 years old and 1 in 100 women 30-39 years old.  For the vast majority of women, the cause of their Premature Ovarian Failure will never be known, but 25-35% of POF suffers also have auto immune disorders. Some common autoimmune diseases linked to POF include diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, and pernicious anemia.

Unfortunately there are no known safe effective treatments for it at this time. 8% of women diagnosed with it will get pregnant most likely while taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but this is a small number and hard to track effectively.

If you have any questions about Premature Ovarian Failure or your fertility level, there are some simple tests your doctor can do. If you are a women already diagnosed with it, reach out online or in person to some of the help groups available in your area.