Premature menopause, now more accurately termed premature ovarian failure, or POF, is a decrease in the normal functioning of a woman's ovaries. Women may not stop having periods completely in POF. POF affects 1 to 3 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 39, with an average age of 27, speaker and author Dr. Donnica Moore, states. Estrogen, the female hormone responsible for most female sex characteristics, decreases in premature menopause which can lead to health complications.
Infertility
Women who undergo premature menopause have fertility issues because they no longer have normally functioning ovaries. In non-menopausal women, a mature egg is released from the ovary each month. Ovulation is essential for achieving pregnancy, so women in premature menopause are not as likely to get pregnant without fertility treatment. The NIH reports that 5 to 10 percent of women with POF do get pregnant naturally, so women who don't want to get pregnant should still use birth control.
Women who want to become pregnant can sometimes start ovulating again by taking estrogen under the care of a fertility specialist. For women who no longer ovulate, even with medication, donor eggs from another woman can be fertilized with her partners and sperm and replaced in her uterus. Prematurely menopausal women normally have no difficulty carrying a pregnancy, although a child from donated eggs won't be biologically hers.
Osteoporosis
Estrogen helps ward off osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones that makes them susceptible to fracture. Women with premature menopause are more likely to develop osteoporosis at an earlier age, Dr. Lawrence Nelson of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states on the website Up To Date. Estrogen replacement therapy helps keep bones strong and should be taken by women with POF until the age of 50 when natural menopause often occurs. A daily intake of 1,200mg of calcium, 400 to 800mg of vitamin D and estrogen along with the addition of weight-bearing exercise will help prevent osteoporosis.
Cardiovascular Risks
Estrogen protects a woman from heart disease by decreasing "bad" LDL cholesterol and increasing "good" HDL cholesterol levels. When estrogen levels drop prematurely, women may be more likely to develop heart disease later in life, according to the NIH. Estrogen supplementation may be used to prevent heart disease later in life.
Other Complications
The loss of protective estrogen at a young age in premature menopause may also lead to a number of complications, including an increased risk of type II diabetes, thyroid disease, colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease and tooth loss, Dannica warns. Twenty-seven percent of women in premature menopause also have decreased thyroid function, as compared to 2 percent of the population overall, the NIH states.
