Premature Ovarian Failure | POF | MedlinePlus

P Premature ovarian failure (POF) is when a woman's ovaries stop working before she is 40.
P POF is different from premature menopause. With premature menopause, your periods stop before age 40. You can no longer get pregnant. The cause can be natural or it can be a disease, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. With POF, some women still have occasional periods. They may even get pregnant. In most cases of POF, the cause is unknown.
P Missed periods are usually the first sign of POF. Later symptoms may be similar to those of natural menopause:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Irritability
- Poor concentration
- Decreased sex drive
- Pain during sex
- Vaginal dryness
P Doctors diagnose POF by doing a physical exam and lab and imaging tests.
P Most women with POF cannot get pregnant naturally. Fertility treatments help a few women; others use donor eggs to have children. There is no treatment that will restore normal ovarian function. However, many health care providers suggest taking hormones until age 50.
P NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

