POF: Premature Ovarian Failure, Affecting Women in Early Adulthood

Menopause is a period of time in a woman's life when she must come to the realization that a part of her physical and emotional make-up will forever be altered. For many women, the period of menopause comes early. Known as premature menopause, women as young as 20 often experience Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), struggling with the complications that come with it.

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), is a medical term used to describe the process of menopause when it occurs in women before mid-life, usually in the twenties to thirties. Because the ovaries essentially discontinue functioning normally, women who experience POF will suffer from premature menopause.

When experiencing premature menopause, the emotional factor is quite different from that of regular menopause. While there are emotional issues involved, especially when considering menopause marks the end of a woman's fertility, women who experience premature menopause are often impacted more greatly by the emotional issues, especially when they have not yet had children of their own.

Compounding the greater incidence and severity of emotional factors, women who experience premature menopause will also suffer greater physical complications. Since estrogen production is regulated by the ovaries, the onset of Premature Ovarian Failure will result in the sudden irregular and non-production of estrogen. When this occurs, especially in younger women, there is an increased risk for conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease. In fact, many women who experience premature menopause will also begin to require medical intervention for elevated blood pressure.

While hormone replacement therapy, especially in older women, is believed to be linked, in some respect, to the risks of breast cancer, it is crucial that younger women, suffering from premature menopause, pursue hormone replacement therapy early. In doing so, HRT will assist in reducing the risk of developing conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease so early in life.