Category Archive:

Premature Ovarian Aging vs. Premature Ovarian Failure Explained by Expert

0
Posted by RobynNazarRN on January 16, 2012 at 11:42 am

When it comes to discussing female fertility issues, the terms “premature ovarian aging” and “premature ovarian failure” often are erroneously interchanged – which is why FertilityAuthority.com has called in the experts to explain.

In their featured section this week, the online fertility website is running an article with contributing commentary by world-renowned reproduction specialist Dr. Norbert Gleicher which explains how specialists determine whether or not a woman is in premature ovarian aging, or premature ovarian failure.

According to Dr. Gleicher, even some doctors are still misdiagnosing or overlooking premature ovarian aging – an error which could significantly impact a woman’s course of infertility treatment and/or chances of concieving a child.

I highly suggest the full reading here: Premature Ovarian Aging (POA) with Dr. Gleicher on FertilityAuthority.com

Posted in: POF

Continue Reading

Can DHEA Reverse Premature Ovarian Failure?

0
Posted by Amanda Rahi on October 13, 2011 at 12:37 pm

The mild male hormone dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA is now referenced and nicked-named as “the fountain of youth” by news reports and supplement users. While it is claimed to result in better sex, a leaner body, and more youthful skin, fertility doctors, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly interested in this hormone’s effect on reproductive function.

DHEA has been found to rejuvenate ovarian function among women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), from either advanced age or premature ovarian aging (POA). However, among women with premature ovarian failure (POF), DHEA has still not shown its effectiveness and chances of pregnancy with their own eggs remain very small.

While POA and POF sound similar, their differences are very important and the distinction is in the maximum level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Patients with FSH levels at a post-menopausal level around 40.0mIU/mL are diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, while patients that have high FSH levels and do not exceed this threshold are diagnosed with premature ovarian aging. The most important difference is that women with POA can get pregnant and have had remarkable pregnancy results with DHEA supplementation, while pregnancy among women with POF is a rare event.

Premature ovarian failure can result from a genetic condition that affects the X  chromosome, such as Turner Syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, from surgical loss of excessive ovarian tissue  or chemotherapy and radiation.

The significant results from DHEA treatment among many patients, however, keep fertility doctors curiously examining its effects. For example, the Center for Human Reproduction in New York is currently running a clinical trial of DHEA in POF patients in hopes to discover a correlation between supplementation and increased ovarian function.

Posted in: DHEA, POF
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Is Embryo Adoption a Good Solution for Premature Ovarian Failure?

0
Posted by Amanda Rahi on September 29, 2011 at 9:42 am

Women faced with premature ovarian failure (POF), the loss of ovarian function before the age of 40, have very small chances of getting pregnant, and most turn to using egg donation. Embryo adoption is another pregnancy option for women with POF, but its differences from egg donation should be noted.

According to the Center of Human Reproduction “egg donation is, undoubtedly, the most successful treatment option for women with POF”. In the CHR’s egg donor program, a POF patient has been shown to have a cumulative pregnancy rate in the high 80s to low 90s, from a single egg donation cycle.

In this process, the donated eggs are fertilized with the couple’s sperm, resulting in an embryo with the genetics from the father.

On the other hand, embryo adoption, the process of implanting an already fertilized and matured embryo into the woman, does not allow the couple to have any of their genetics in their baby.

The donated embryos mostly come from couples that have conceived with IVF and have decided to donate their remaining viable embryos from the procedure. These embryos are frozen and ready for adoption.  However, these embryos come from couples that had difficulty conceiving and are thought to be of lesser quality. Between 16 to 20 percent of embryo adoptions result in successful pregnancies, whereas success rates in donor egg selection start at 60 percent and go up from there.

Two very notable advantages of embryo adoption are its immediate availability (egg donation wait times in some fertility clinics can be around one year) and its’ lower cost. Couples should expect to pay between 15,000 and 20,000 dollars for egg donation, compared to a range of 6,000 to 18,000 dollars for embryo adoption.

Families have to evaluate their personal needs to decide what option is best for them. It is important, however, to consider if accepting a lower success rate and missing out on having the genetics of the father is worth the difference in time and money.

Posted in: Embryo Adoption, POF
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Misdiagnosis of Premature Ovarian Failure May Lead to Unnecessary Infertility Treatments

0
Posted by RobynNazarRN on June 14, 2011 at 2:20 pm

A new report says misdiagnosis of a common infertility condition called Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) may be leading some women to receive unnecessary, emotional and costly infertility treatments such as donor eggs .

According to researchers at the Center for Human Reproduction in New York Premature Ovarian Failure, also referred to as Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) or premature menopause is a condition characterized by high FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) levels of 40 or more. When the FSH is less than 40 it is called Premature Ovarian Aging (POA), a much milder form of infertility to treat.

“Correct diagnosis is crucial in advising patients about prognosis and treatment choices, because women with POA, especially if under age 42, still have excellent pregnancy chances with correct treatments,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, Founder and Medical Director of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City. “In contrast, women with true POF have much poorer pregnancy chances with the use of their own eggs, and usually require experimental treatments.”

Women diagnosed with POF often are advised to consider using donor egg, which is no only a costly and invasive procedure, but takes away the ability for the mother to have a genetic relationship with her child.

POF is said to only affect less than 1% of all women whereas 10% may experience a premature decline in ovarian function, requiring some form of infertility treatment.

Posted in: FSH, POF
Tags: , ,

Continue Reading