What are the dangers of premature ovarian failure?

  Premature ovarian failure (POF), also known as primary ovarian insufficiency or primary ovarian insufficiency, is a group of syndromes in which menopause occurs before the age of 40 years and is accompanied by low sex hormone levels and elevated pituitary gonadotropins. most POF is idiopathic, i.e., there is no primary disease causing ovarian insufficiency, but some patients have genetic causes, infections, specific enzyme deficiencies, or metabolic syndromes. The overall incidence of POF is about 1% in women under 40 years of age, while early menopause, defined as menopause between 40 and 45 years of age, occurs in about 5% of cases.  The length of time a woman can menstruate in her lifetime is determined by the number of eggs in reserve in her ovaries, and women have a limited number of eggs in reserve in their lifetime, so all people will experience amenorrhea due to egg depletion, which we call menopause. The average age of menopause in normal women is about 50 years old. Menopause before the age of 40 is called premature ovarian failure, and the incidence of premature ovarian failure varies widely from region to region, with a possible incidence of 0.88% to 14.6%.  The common causes of menopause due to premature ovarian failure include inadequate egg reserve (e.g. sex chromosomal defects or chimerism, genetic mutations, etc. can lead to premature failure due to insufficient number of eggs), early failure due to rapid egg consumption in certain chronic or wasting diseases, environmental factors such as physical, chemical, radiological, viral, alcohol and smoking factors that affect egg consumption, ovarian tumors that destroy ovarian tissue or surgical removal of Bilateral ovaries.  At present, various malignant tumors (such as hematological diseases) are treated with high doses of chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy on ovarian function, leading to premature ovarian failure in some young patients, especially in women after bone marrow transplantation for hematological diseases, and almost all of them have impaired ovarian function or premature failure. Also patients with rheumatic immune system diseases, which also require the use of immunosuppressive drugs, lead to the development of premature ovarian failure in these patients.  The most important diagnostic indicators for premature ovarian failure are follicle stimulating hormone FSH > 40 IU/L and estradiol E2 < 20-30 pg/dl. Patients with premature ovarian failure enter menopause 10 years or more earlier than the average woman. Low estrogen can lead to hot flashes and sweating, sleep disturbances, depression, difficulty having sex, painful intercourse, low libido , recurrent urinary tract infections, susceptibility to osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, increased risk of cardiovascular system diseases, and a significant decrease in quality of life. If there are no contraindications to the use of sex hormones, it is recommended to receive sex hormone supplementation therapy at a regular specialized hospital.