Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
What is primary ovarian insufficiency?
Primary ovarian insufficiency or premature ovarian failure is a condition in which the ovaries stop working before they reach the age of menopause. The illness is often mistaken for early menopause and is frequently a leading cause of infertility in women. Read more about primary ovarian insufficiency, its causes, its symptoms, and more in the blog. Premature ovarian failure (POI) is a medical condition when your ovaries stop working properly before you turn 40.
It’s natural to experience difficulty getting pregnant by the time you are around 40 years old. You start getting irregular menstrual periods and some menopausal symptoms. If, however, you are having irregular periods and having difficulty getting pregnant before the age of 40, then primary ovarian insufficiency may be the cause.
What causes premature ovarian failure?
For around 90% of cases, the exact causes of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) are still unknown.
Research shows that primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is related to problems with your follicles. A follicle is a small sac within your ovaries. Within them, your eggs grow and mature.
If your follicles don’t work properly or start depleting sooner then it can cause primary ovarian insufficiency. In most cases, the cause of the follicle problem is uncertain. But sometimes the cause may be:
- Genetic disorders like Fragile X syndrome and Turner syndrome, in which women have an abnormal X chromosome.
- Autoimmune diseases like thyroiditis and Addison disease in which your immune system produces antibodies against the body cells and harms the follicles and eggs.
- Treatment for Cancer: Chemotherapy or radiation therapy damages the egg cells.
- Metabolic disorders
- Toxins: Cigarette smoke, chemicals, and pesticides fasten the failure of egg cells.
What are the symptoms of primary ovarian insufficiency?
The symptoms of Premature ovarian failure are similar to those of pre-menopausal symptoms.
The very first sign of Premature ovarian failure (POI) is irregular or missed periods.
Other symptoms may be similar to menopause, which includes:
- Decrease in concentration
- Decrease in sexual drive
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Increased irritability
- Painful sex
- Dryness in the vagina
- Difficulty to conceive
Who are at risk of premature ovarian failure?
If you are under 40 and experiencing irregular periods as well as difficulty conceiving, you may be suffering from premature ovarian failure.
So here is a list of some risk factors that can raise your risk of having Premature ovarian failure-
- If you have a positive family history of premature ovarian failure, you have more chances of having it.
- A few changes to the genes and genetic conditions put you at higher chances of primary ovarian insufficiency. For example, women with Fragile X syndrome or Turner syndrome are at more risk comparatively.
- Several autoimmune diseases and viral infections also put you at risk for premature ovarian failure.
- If you are getting cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, then it may put you at a major risk of causing Premature ovarian failure.
- Your age also plays an important role in increasing the risk of premature ovarian failure.
How to diagnose primary ovarian insufficiency?
Primary ovarian insufficiency is a rare condition but can be an underlying cause of infertility. So after the detailed examination and diagnostic tests, your doctor makes the diagnosis of primary ovarian insufficiency.
These are some steps your doctor may take to diagnose POI:
- A detailed medical history
- A pregnancy test just to make sure that you are not pregnant
- A full physical examination to check for signs of other disorders which could be the reason for your symptoms
- Blood tests to check for the levels of certain hormones
- A pelvic ultrasound to check if the ovaries are enlarged or have multiple follicles
Here are some of the main findings of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- If you have missed or irregular periods for 4 months, usually after having regular periods for a substantial amount of time.
- FSH levels rise during the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test.
- After testing there is a decrease in the levels of estrogen.
How is premature ovarian failure managed?
Management of primary ovarian insufficiency requires full cooperation between you and your doctor.
Even though there is no certified treatment available to restore the ovaries to their original position it is still possible to treat certain symptoms of POI.
There are also ways to decrease your health risks and treat the symptoms. Some of the common treatments are:
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): It is the most common treatment for premature ovarian failure. It fulfills the need of lacking estrogen and other hormones that your ovaries are not making. In addition to improving your sexual health, it decreases your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. The treatment is recommended until about 50 when menopause begins.
- Calcium and vitamin D supplements: Women with POI are at a higher risk for osteoporosis. Therefore, your doctor will recommend taking calcium and vitamin D every day.
- In vitro fertilization (IVF): If you have premature ovarian failure and you are willing to conceive then IVF is the best option for you. With our personalized approach, expert medical team, as well as our advanced ART lab, at Crysta IVF we can offer you a comprehensive treatment. We have best fertility centre in Delhi and other cities of India.
- Regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight: Having premature ovarian failure increases your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, but you can reduce this risk by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.
- Treatments for associated conditions: For the other associated symptoms, the treatment is given symptomatically with medicines.
What are the complications of primary ovarian insufficiency?
A primary ovarian insufficiency with a deformity in ovarian function as well as a lack of estrogen can lead to several complications.
Some of them are:
- Infertility: Women with premature ovarian failure can have difficulty conceiving. In very rare cases, though pregnancy is possible as long as the eggs remain viable.
- Osteoporosis: The hormone estrogen helps maintain strong bones in females. Women with low levels of estrogen have an increased chance of developing weak bones (osteoporosis), which are more probable to break than healthy bones.
- Depression or anxiety: Lack of conceiving can lead to emotional disturbances, making some women feel anxious or depressed.
- Heart disease: Estrogen is the necessary hormone required for a healthy heart, but in premature ovarian failure, the lack of estrogen might make you prone to getting heart-related issues.
How can Crysta IVF help manage premature ovarian failure?
Crysta IVF can help infertile patients suffering from primary ovarian insufficiency achieve their dream of becoming a parent by understanding their medical history, the cause of infertility, and by providing IVF treatment.
Our in-house fertility experts with their approach, under their medical guidance, give you proper counselling, required treatment, education along with regular follow-up. Contact us to know more about fertility treatment.
Conclusion-
Inability to conceive and not being able to start our own family is a physical yet emotional problem. So, if you are suffering from an irregular menstrual cycle, not getting pregnant, with other associated symptoms, it may be due to premature ovarian failure.
Therefore, it is essential to stay informed, get adequate medical guidance, treatment, and keep checking your health regularly. So free consultation you can contact Crysta IVF which is an emerging fertility centre in India.
