Knowledge Sharing
2022.10.28
What are the symptoms of POF? Will POF affect chances of getting pregnant?
What is POF?
Females will start going into menopause at around 50 years old. In some cases, as hormone concentrations decrease, ovarian function begins to decline, known as premature ovarian failure (POF). Females with POF might experience irregular menstruation or amenorrhea, insomnia, hot flashes and night sweats etc.
POF will be diagnosed by the following symptoms:
Examination for POF
AMH index is the indicator for ovarian function, since it won’t be affected by factors like menstruation period or hormones.
You may check your AMH index by a blood test.
It is suggested that adult females should arrange an AMH examination every 2-3 years to keep their ovarian function on track.
If your AMH index is lower than 2, you might be POF.
POF indicates that the amount of ovum left in women is as low as in women over 40, so their chances of getting pregnant will be reduced significantly, at which point they might start menopause earlier.
POF cannot be cured, only to slow it down.
Females with the above symptoms should consider pulling in their pregnancy plan, and unmarried women should consider egg freezing before 35 to preserve their reproductive function.
What are the causes of POF?
According to previous research, the causes for 90% of POF cases are unknown.
But we can infer some possible reasons from observation:
Who has a higher risk of POF?
The factors below might affect the risk of having POF:
What is ovarian cyst? What are the causes?
Ovarian cyst occurs when fluid hoarid in the ovary abnormally.
It is more likely to happen in females aged 20-50, but mostly are benign tumors.
There are two kinds of ovarian cyst: 80% are functional ovarian cyst (e.g. follicular cyst and lutein cyst), and 20% are pathological ovarian cyst (e.g. teratoma, mucinous cyst, mucous cyst and chocolate cyst).
There might be chances of damaging ovarian function hence leading to POF.
Therefore, egg or embryo freezing is suggested before ovarian surgery.
Can I still get pregnant if I have POF?
As mentioned, females being diagnosed POF may consider egg/embryo freezing to preserve their reproductive function.
Lee Women’s Hospital has had the technology of egg freezing and the experience of infertility treatment since 1986.
We have achieved the survival rate of eggs after defrosting at around 97%, and the pregnancy rate at about 60%.
Currently, we have recorded successful childbirth cases where the eggs had been frozen for 10~20 years and were successfully implanted after defrosting!
How to prevent POF?
The prevention of POF can start with daily habits:
Females will start going into menopause at around 50 years old. In some cases, as hormone concentrations decrease, ovarian function begins to decline, known as premature ovarian failure (POF). Females with POF might experience irregular menstruation or amenorrhea, insomnia, hot flashes and night sweats etc.
POF will be diagnosed by the following symptoms:
- age under 40
- amenorrhea
- the index of FSH is over 30 mIU/mL (in 2 tests)
Examination for POF
AMH index is the indicator for ovarian function, since it won’t be affected by factors like menstruation period or hormones.
You may check your AMH index by a blood test.
It is suggested that adult females should arrange an AMH examination every 2-3 years to keep their ovarian function on track.
| AMH <2 （ng/ml） | 2≤AMH≥5（ng/ml） | AMH >5 （ng/ml） |
| POF | Normal | PCOS |
If your AMH index is lower than 2, you might be POF.
POF indicates that the amount of ovum left in women is as low as in women over 40, so their chances of getting pregnant will be reduced significantly, at which point they might start menopause earlier.
POF cannot be cured, only to slow it down.
Females with the above symptoms should consider pulling in their pregnancy plan, and unmarried women should consider egg freezing before 35 to preserve their reproductive function.
What are the causes of POF?
According to previous research, the causes for 90% of POF cases are unknown.
But we can infer some possible reasons from observation:
- hereditary disease, such as Fragile X syndrome and Turner syndrome
- few amount of follicles
- immune disease, such as Thyroiditis and Addison’s disease
- chemotherapy or radiation therapy
- metabolic disease
- toxin, such as smoking, chemical substances and pesticides
Who has a higher risk of POF?
The factors below might affect the risk of having POF:
- family history: mother or sisters who have POF
- genetic factor: female with Fragile X syndrome and Turner syndrome
- diseases: such as immune disease and viral disease
- cancer treatment: chemotherapy or radiation therapy
- age: more likely to happen in females aged around 35-40
What is ovarian cyst? What are the causes?
Ovarian cyst occurs when fluid hoarid in the ovary abnormally.
It is more likely to happen in females aged 20-50, but mostly are benign tumors.
There are two kinds of ovarian cyst: 80% are functional ovarian cyst (e.g. follicular cyst and lutein cyst), and 20% are pathological ovarian cyst (e.g. teratoma, mucinous cyst, mucous cyst and chocolate cyst).
Will ovarian cyst lead to POF?
The Ovarian cyst should be removed by surgery when it’s larger than 5 cm.There might be chances of damaging ovarian function hence leading to POF.
Therefore, egg or embryo freezing is suggested before ovarian surgery.
Can I still get pregnant if I have POF?
As mentioned, females being diagnosed POF may consider egg/embryo freezing to preserve their reproductive function.
Lee Women’s Hospital has had the technology of egg freezing and the experience of infertility treatment since 1986.
We have achieved the survival rate of eggs after defrosting at around 97%, and the pregnancy rate at about 60%.
Currently, we have recorded successful childbirth cases where the eggs had been frozen for 10~20 years and were successfully implanted after defrosting!
How to prevent POF?
The prevention of POF can start with daily habits:
- get well-rested: at least 6-8 hours of sleep is needed per day, avoid staying up late
- stay happy, ensure physical and psychological health
- moderate exercise can help maintain healthy ovarian function
- ingest supplements such as Vitamin D3 and Q10
- ingest Mediterranean diet
