Premature ovarian failure (patient information)
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What is premature ovarian failure?
How do I know if I have premature ovarian failure and what are the symptoms of premature ovarian failure?
Usual signs and symptoms of premature ovarin failure include the following:
- Irregular or skipped periods (amenorrhea)
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Irritability, poor concentration
- Vaginal dryness
- Decreased sexual desire
- Infertility
- Osteoporosis
- Low thyroid function, such as muscle hypotonia, fatigue and cold intolerance.
- Addison’s disease, such as fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss.
- Heart diseases, such as palpitation and chest pain.
Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Who is at risk for premature ovarian failure?
In many cases, the cause of premature ovarian is not clear. Some studies demonstrate that the following factors may be involved in the cause of this disorder.
- Chromosomal defects: Studies demonstrate that certain genetic disorders may be associated with premature ovarian failure, such as Turner's syndrome and fragile X syndrome.
- Toxins: Toxins, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cigarette smoke, chemicals, pesticides and viruses may damage the genetic material in cells and hasten ovarian failure.
- Autoimmune diseases: Autoimmune diseases may cause follicle dysfunction, which may produce antibodies against her own ovarian tissue and harm the egg-containing follicles, then result in premature ovarian failure.
- Age: The risk of ovarian failure rises as you age.
- Genentic factors: Having a family history of premature ovarian failure increases your risk of developing this disorder.
How to know you have premature ovarian failure?
- Hormone tests: Women with premature ovarian failure often have abnormally high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)in the blood and their luteinizing hormone (LH) is usually lower than the level of FSH.
- Serum estradiol test: The blood level of estradiol, a type of estrogen, is usually low in women with premature ovarian failure.
- Chromosome test: This test can check all 46 of the chromosomes for abnormalities.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Diseases with similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for premature ovarian failure?
Directions to Hospitals Treating premature ovarian failure
Prevention of premature ovarian failure
What to expect (Outook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prematureovarianfailure.html
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Premature_Ovarian_Failure.cfm
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/pof/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/premature-ovarian-failure/DS00843/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all