Answers to Commonly Asked Questions

1. What is Premature Ovarian Failure?
2. Failure seems like such an unfortunate word to use.
3. Why do I hear the term premature menopause used?
4. At what age do women normally enter menopause?
5. Why do we say that Premature Ovarian Failure occurs in women under the age of 40?
6. How many women have POF?
   Is this rare?
7. Why is 39 used as the cut-off age for the diagnosis?
   What is the average age at which this occurs?
8. Is it true if you started your periods early you are more likely to have POF?
9. Earlier you said that one of the indicators of Premature Ovarian Failure is an elevated FSH level but what does that mean?
10. Back to FSH. Is there a problem with the FSH stimulating the follicles?
11. What has happened to the eggs?
12. Why does this happen?
13. Someone told me that I brought this on myself because I smoke.
14. Is it true POF can develop before you even started menstruation?
15. What are some of the physical changes I might notice? I've been having what I would call "hot flashes" but I'm too young and my doctor thinks I'm a hypochrondriac!
16. When I see my doctor what medical information should s/he ask me about?
17. What should I expect my doctor to do during an examination?
18. Are there any tests that I don't need to have done?
19. Do women have normal fertility before developing POF?
20. How often do pregnancies occur?
21. What do I need to do to get pregnant?
22. Can I use BCP instead of HRT?
23. Is there any hope that in the future there will be a cure for the infertility?
24. I am overwhelmed with the idea that I may never have a baby.
25. When my doctor told me what the problem was he immediately told me my options for a family were donor egg or adoption. I certainly wasn't ready for that then! Now, I think we should at least look at all our options. Do you have any resources?
26. I guess after my devastation (and I do mean devastation) about my chances for a baby I am still concerned about my health. Are there any problems I should be aware of?
27. Why should I be concerned about my bones?
28. What can I do to protect my bones?
29. If I have a bone-density study which one should I have done?
30. What about heart health?
31. How long should I take HRT?
32. Why isn't progesterone necessary if I've had a hysterectomy?
33. My mother and I are both on HRT! Can you believe it! Why does she take Premarin 0.625 mg and I take 1.25 mg?
34. How should young women with Premature Ovarian Failure replace the estrogen that their ovaries don't supply to them?
35. What about progesterone?
36. What are the side effects of estrogen and progesterone?
37. Should I take continuous or cyclical HRT?
38. I had a blood clot. Should I take HRT?
39. What can I do instead?
40. I don't hear much about testosterone. Should I take it?
41. Why is there such hesitation about testosterone?
42. There are certainly some good aspects (I would like to feel like making love with my husband again!). When will there be additional information?
43. What are the long-term risks of taking HRT?
44. Several times you've mentioned research that is going on at The National Institutes of Health (NIH). Can you tell me what and where NIH is and what kind of research they're doing?
45. You didn't answer my question! I wanted to know about folic acid, about …