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Premature Ovarian Failure

Management

Premature ovarian failure is a devastating diagnosis for most women and counselling should be available through the local fertility clinic. Loss of fertility is a huge issue to deal with. Egg donation is generally the only fertility option available, although spontaneous pregnancies may still occasionally occur.

Menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, poor sleep and mood swings may be helped by hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are some risks associated with HRT including a slightly increased risk of breast cancer, stroke and venous thromboembolism. The pros and cons of HRT need to be carefully discussed with your doctor.

Osteoporosis or thinning of the bones occurs more commonly in women with POF. There are a variety of treatments available, however regular weight bearing exercise and a diet containing good amounts of calcium are always recommended.

Egg Donation

Egg donation is usually the only option available to women with POF. An egg donor is recruited - ideally aged 36 or less who has completed her family. The donor undergoes a careful medical and genetic history, a physical examination and counselling. The donor is also tested for infectious diseases.

Once the donor has been cleared, she undergoes an IVF cycle. An IVF cycle involves a number of hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce a batch of mature eggs. These eggs are then removed from the donor's ovaries and are fertilised using the recipient's partner's sperm. The resulting embryos are placed in the recipient's uterus.

There is the possible that a cycle of egg donation may be publicly funded and the chances of a successful pregnancy are around 45% per attempt.

For further information on the Donor Conception Network please click here

Egg and Ovarian Freezing

There is a large amount of experimental work looking at ways of freezing ovaries, immature eggs or mature eggs as a means of preserving a woman's fertility. At this stage, none of these options have resulted in human pregnancies in women with POF. In the future these technologies may be able to offer some further options.