The ovaries have two major functions, reproductive and endocrine, and are the main site for the secretion of estrogen and progesterone, etc. Once the normal function of the ovaries is impaired, hormone secretion will become dysregulated, which will cause related clinical symptoms and affect our health and quality of life.
There are two types of ovarian hypofunction, physiological and pathological.
Physiological, which is commonly referred to as “menopause”, is natural and irresistible. The number of follicles in each woman’s ovaries does not increase from birth. Each menstrual cycle, a number of follicles are used, and so month after month, year after year, no new follicles are produced, the number of follicles is slowly depleted, and the resulting estrogen levels become lower and lower, so the related menopausal symptoms will appear one after another. However, there is no need to panic, as every woman can gradually adapt to these changes in her body and transition safely.
Pathological refers to the decline in ovarian function before the age of “menopause”. This is not normal and should be treated promptly. There are two medical concepts: “premature ovarian failure” refers to natural amenorrhea that occurs before a woman reaches the age of 40.
The term “premature ovarian failure” refers to natural amenorrhea that occurs before the age of 40. “Decreased ovarian reserve function” refers to a decrease in the ability of the ovaries to produce eggs or the quality of the eggs produced.
This can lead to premature ovarian failure, which is one of the causes of female infertility.
Why do ovaries fail prematurely?
The main causes of premature ovarian failure are genetics, autoimmune, infectious factors, bad habits, mental stress and psychological factors.
Bad habits and mental stress
Many women have a long history of irregular lifestyle and lack of sleep. In the long run, the body’s biological clock will be paralyzed and the endocrine system will be overwhelmed and the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis will eventually be disrupted, thus forcing the ovarian function to diminish prematurely. In addition, drinking a lot of coffee, strong tea, or having a bad diet such as smoking and alcohol abuse will increase the burden on the body and accelerate the aging of the body. In particular, smoking has a direct harmful effect on the ovaries, making the onset of menopause at least 2 to 3 years earlier.
Infectious factors
Mumps can be combined with viral ovarian infections in women at an early age, and about 2-8% of ovarian infections often result in premature ovarian failure. Therefore, the risk of premature ovarian failure is increased nearly 10-fold in women who have had mumps in the past. Other infections that cause premature ovarian failure include tuberculosis, malaria, and chickenpox. These pathogenic bacteria invade the ovaries and cause ovarian inflammation followed by fibrosis, leading to a decrease in the number of follicles and eventually to premature ovarian failure.
Medical factors
The main medical factors include surgery and radiotherapy. Any surgery on the tissues surrounding the ovaries may damage the blood supply to the ovaries or cause inflammation in the area, leading to premature ovarian failure. With the improvement of medical treatment, various gynecological diseases can be diagnosed and treated surgically, but too little normal ovarian tissue remains after surgery or large blood vessels are damaged during surgery, which may destroy the cortical structure or blood supply of the ovaries and cause irreversible damage to ovarian function leading to premature ovarian failure.
Radiotherapy is a treatment method that irradiates tumors with various types of radiation of different energies to inhibit and kill cancer cells. The high doses of radiation used to treat the disease also lead to systemic and local side effects, which are reflected in the ovaries as premature ovarian failure or hypofunction, leading to temporary or permanent amenorrhea. Hormones and biosynthetic agents used in chemotherapy can also cause ovarian hypofunction while treating disease.
Signal 1: Variable menstrual cycle, long or short duration, high or low volume.
Signal 2: Unable to hold in urine, always wanting to go to the toilet, feeling uncomfortable when urinating.
Signal 3: You feel urine overflowing after coughing or laughing.
Signal 4: The vagina always feels dry and uncomfortable, especially during intercourse, and even a little painful.
Signal 5: Loss of interest or even some aversion to sex.
Signal 6: Sex without taking any precautions for a long time without pregnancy.
Signal 7: More serious than before, bad temper, easy to have conflicts with colleagues and family members.
Signal 8: Loss of interest in things around you, feeling that nothing is interesting and you can’t raise your spirits.
Signal 9: Do not fall asleep easily, wake up early, and have no energy to work and live during the day.
Signal 10: Waking up from sleep in the early hours of the morning or in the middle of the night and sweating profusely.
Signal 11: The body becomes fat, a small belly appears, the hips are loose and sagging, and a “bucket waist” appears.
Signal 12: Back pain, joint pain, easy to fracture.
Signal 13: More hair loss, dry hair, loss of elasticity and luster.
Signal 14: Hot flashes, heartburn, chest tightness, shortness of breath, increased blood lipids and blood sugar.
Signal 15: Loss of appetite, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea.
Signal 16: Decreased resistance, easy to catch cold and infection.
If you have 2 or more of the above, it is recommended to visit a regular hospital. If other organic diseases are ruled out, then your ovaries may already be in quiet decline.