How Does POF Affect Fertility?

If you have POF (Premature Ovarian Failure), it will likely be very difficult for you to become pregnant because your ovaries aren’t working correctly. At this time, there is no proven medical treatment that improves a woman’s ability to have a baby naturally if she has POF.

There is a chance that you will become pregnant without fertility treatment. Between 5 percent and 10 percent of women with POF do become pregnant, even though they have not had fertility treatment. Sometimes pregnancy can occur decades after the initial diagnosis. Researchers cannot explain why some women with POF get pregnant, while others do not.

Options for Having a Baby with POF

Families affected by POF do have options for having a child. It is important to note, avoid unproven fertility treatments and treatments that have been proven ineffective because such methods may actually reduce your chances of getting pregnant naturally.

ART

A certain type of assisted reproductive technology (ART), known as egg donation, may also be an option for having a child. In POF, the problem is in producing healthy eggs; the condition does not affect a woman’s uterus, which means she may be able to carry a child. Egg donation makes it possible to combine donor eggs and sperm in a laboratory, and then place the resulting embryos into the uterus of a woman who has POF.

Talk it Over

If you and your family are considering ART, talking with a health care provider and/or a fertility specialist about the risks and benefits may help you make your final decision.

A Special Note Regarding Infertility and POF

Many women involved in POF support groups reported that, when they were diagnosed with POF, they felt a sense of loss or grief, not unlike the sadness associated with the death of a loved one. Others reported that they felt guilty about not trying to have children earlier in their lives. They noted that the diagnosis also affected their partners, spouses, and families. For women with POF and their families, then, emotional support may be as important as medical treatment for dealing with POF

Health care providers who care for women with POF often have to reassure their patients that these emotional responses are perfectly natural reactions to the news of POF. Some health care providers suggest taking time to deal with the diagnosis and the emotions that surround it, before making any decisions about having a family
In addition, researchers are actively working to develop methods that improve fertility in women with POF and other conditions. As such methods and treatments improve, women with POF and their families may have more options for having children naturally.

This is an excerpt provided by National Insitutes of Health, NICHD.

This information is provided for your information. It is not medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for visiting your doctor. If you need medical care, or have any questions, please contact your obstetrician-gynecologist.