Ways to deal with premature menopause

“Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is when there is a stop in the normal functioning of the ovaries in a woman younger than age 40. Women are generally born with sufficient eggs in their ovaries so that they ovulate one each month from puberty until about the age of 50 or more. At that time, the supply of eggs is used up and menopause occurs. However, in approximately one to four per cent of women, there is premature cessation of ovarian function. It could be a loss of eggs, a dysfunction of the eggs or the removal of the ovaries at a young age,” says Gynaecologist and Infertility Specialist, Dr Nandita Palshetkar.

There are several reasons this occurs. While poor nutrition, heavy smoking/ drinking and chronic stress to the body are external factors, sometimes there are factors out of a woman’s control that lead to early menopause. According to Dr Gandhi,

Autoimmune disorders like mumps and other serious viral infections can damage a woman’s eggs. POF associated with autoimmune disease ranges from 20 to 40 percent, with both endocrine and non-endocrine disorders involved.

If a woman has undergone radiation therapy or chemotherapy, large numbers of eggs can be destroyed. With fewer eggs left, menopause sets in earlier in healthy women (e.g. after breast cancer). READ MORE…

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