Can I still have children if I have premature ovarian failure?

In the obstetrics and gynecology clinic, more and more female patients under 40 years old (some are even in their twenties) come to see a doctor because their menstrual flow has become very scarce, or their menstruation has become very rare, or even has not come for several months! They are not pregnant, and they are even suffering from infertility! Be careful, it may be caused by premature ovarian failure, which makes women's 40 flowers wither early!

What is premature ovarian failure

If a woman's ovaries lose function before the age of 40, it is called premature ovarian failure. The most serious premature ovarian failure means that she has never had a menstrual period. Generally speaking, women will stop menstruating naturally around the age of 50 because the follicles in the ovaries are exhausted, which is a natural aging phenomenon. However, more and more women have early ovarian failure, which causes the ability to secrete estrogen and progesterone to decrease several years earlier, resulting in a gradual increase in follicle-stimulating hormone in the blood, thus causing irregular menstruation or even amenorrhea. If this condition occurs before the age of 40, it is called premature ovarian failure. The incidence rate is about 1 to 4%. It is further divided according to the age group of occurrence. The incidence rate before the age of 20 is about 1/10000, the incidence rate before the age of 30 is about 1/1000, and the incidence rate before the age of 40 is about 1/100. About 25% of the women who have no menstruation mentioned above are caused by premature ovarian failure.

Causes of premature ovarian failure

Genetic or chromosomal abnormalities: such as Turner syndrome and Fragile X syndrome.

Medical reasons: For example, ovarian surgery, ovarian chemotherapy, ovarian radiotherapy, etc. may cause the ovaries to lose function.

Viral infections: e.g. viral oophoritis (Herpes Zoster, Cytomegalovirus).

Autoimmune diseases: such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Metabolic diseases: such as lack of specific enzymes in the body.

Symptoms of premature ovarian failure

The most serious case of premature ovarian failure is that menstruation never occurs, so there is no development of secondary sexual characteristics during puberty.

Ovarian failure after puberty development, due to the gradual lack of ovarian function, reduces the secretion of estrogen and progesterone, thus causing irregular vaginal bleeding and abnormal menstrual cycle.

When the ovaries completely stop functioning, menopause and various menopausal symptoms occur, such as hot flashes, hot sweats, fatigue, and depression.

Since the ovarian function has already reached that of a menopausal woman, it is almost impossible to get pregnant even if you are only in your twenties or thirties!

Osteoporosis also occurs early with premature ovarian failure!

What to do about premature ovarian failure

Diagnostic Methods

The diagnosis can be made by drawing blood, and it can be found that the patient's follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) will increase, and estrogen (Estradiol) and inhibin will decrease. When FSH is greater than 40mlU/ml, it means ovarian failure.

Know your family history early

Because premature ovarian failure may be hereditary, if a woman knows that her mother or sister stopped menstruating before the age of 40, it is best for her to get married and have children early if possible. Otherwise, if she also experiences premature ovarian failure, her only way to get pregnant is to donate eggs!

Artificial reproduction or egg donation

If you are diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, the chance of natural conception is almost zero! In the outpatient clinic, there are very young women in their twenties who are diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. It is very difficult to accept! If you want to get pregnant, even if you use gonadal stimulating hormones to stimulate follicle development, and then use artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization to assist pregnancy, the effect is very poor; almost only accepting egg donation can you get pregnant!

Hormone therapy may help

The Journal of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine once proposed a case of premature ovarian failure. After taking 50 mg of DHEA (a hormone produced and secreted by the adrenal cortex and ovaries) every day after the first menopause, there were cases of menstruation returning and natural conception after using it for 2 to 6 months. But not everyone can succeed. After entering menopause, female hormones can be supplemented, which can effectively delay the occurrence of osteoporosis, prevent vaginal dryness and atrophy, maintain sexual satisfaction, and reduce the discomfort of menopausal symptoms. Patients can fully communicate with their doctors to understand the benefits and side effects of hormone therapy before starting to use it.

Don’t take herbal remedies randomly

Although there are herbal remedies that claim to rejuvenate the ovaries, they are rare cases and have no absolute medical basis. Taking herbal remedies indiscriminately not only hurts your wallet, but may also hurt your body!

Professional doctor's advice

I often hear about female friends around me who are only in their twenties or thirties, but have irregular menstruation or even stop menstruating early. When they are diagnosed with premature ovarian failure by doctors and will find it very difficult to get pregnant in the future, most of them find it difficult to accept!

Therefore, experts recommend that young women who have no plans to get pregnant but are worried about premature ovarian failure in the future should actively seek help from an obstetrician and gynecologist to check whether they have a tendency to premature ovarian failure, so as to obtain early diagnosis and treatment. This can save the regret of infertility and prevent menopausal symptoms such as osteoporosis from coming early!