Motherhood is often still possible in the face of premature ovarian failure
It’s no secret that female fertility declines with age. Most U.S. women will go through menopause around age 52. However, some will experience this change earlier. When a patient’s ovaries stop working before age 40, she receives a diagnosis of premature ovarian failure. Dr. Susan Hudson, our New Braunfels fertility doctor, knows that experiencing early menopause can be distressing. This is especially true when a patient still wants to have children.
There is good news, though. Motherhood is often still possible with help from fertility treatments.
What is premature ovarian failure?
This is a condition where a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs and producing the normal amount of estrogen before age 40. Many issues can cause women to experience early menopause.
- A family history of premature ovarian failure
- An autoimmune condition that attacks ovarian tissue
- Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation
- Surgery on the ovaries
Dr. Hudson may suspect early menopause when a patient has the following symptoms.
- Irregular or missed periods
- Infertility (trouble conceiving)
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Vaginal dryness and decreased sexual desire
- Mood changes, including anxiety, anger and depression
When a patient has these symptoms, our New Braunfels fertility doctor may order bloodwork to check hormone levels. Specifically, this testing will look at follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (a type of estrogen), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and prolactin.
Can you still have a baby if you have early menopause?
Every patient is different, and no treatment can restore a woman’s egg supply. However, many patients with premature ovarian failure conceive using in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs. This highly effective fertility treatment includes several steps, including choosing an egg donor.
- Patients can choose someone they know to be their egg donor (a known donor) or select a donor from an egg bank (an anonymous donor).
- The team in the IVF lab will fertilize the donor eggs with sperm from the patient’s partner or a sperm donor. They will then monitor the growth and development of the resulting embryos.
- The hopeful mother will take medications to prepare her body to support a pregnancy, before undergoing an embryo transfer
- About two weeks later, the hopeful mother will take a pregnancy test at our office and then, hopefully, celebrate the good news!
Dr. Hudson and our team are proud to make dreams of parenthood come true in the face of premature ovarian failure. If you’d like to learn more about how we support patients facing early menopause, contact us to schedule an appointment.