Premature Ovarian Failure

Premature Ovarian Failure is indicated by decreased ovarian reserves. This means that the numbers of eggs present in the ovaries are reducing or diminished. This decrease can be indicated by a blood test measuring the FSH-Follicle Stimulating Hormone. A raised FSH can indicate that the numbers of eggs in the ovaries are declining, as a raised FSH indicates that the ovaries are struggling to produce an egg each month. For some couples a diminished ovarian reserve may be identified after a treatment cycle which resulted in a low number of eggs produced despite high levels of medication.

More recently ultra sound scans are being used to measure the size of the ovaries prior to treatment. This can act as an indicator of the ovarian reserve. For example ovaries that are very small may indicate that the ovarian reserve may be reduced. In addition the numbers of antral follicles (smaller follicles) present at the begninng of a cycle (Day 2-Day 6) are also counted as an indicator to how a woman may respond to the drugs used in treatment.

There can be a number of reasons for Premature Ovarian Failure some of these are:

Congenital- the ovaries fail to develop in adolescence
Genetic- the number of eggs reduce when the female is young
Damage- through treatment such as chemotherapy
Chromosomal- Ovaries fail to develop as a result of a chromosomal abnormality e.g. Turners Syndrome

Unfortunately Premature Ovarian Syndrome is not treatable, it cannot be reversed. Consequently the treatments that are available may be limited to considering Ovum Donation, Adoption or childlessness.

<Previous | Next >| Pages 1, 2, 3, 4

return to top of female infertility page

Embryo Development

Fertility Nurse Chat

Fertility
Products

Fertility Clinics

Free Newsletter

Nurse Questions