Clinical Profile of Women With Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Attending a Tertiary Care Center: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a depletion of normal ovarian function before age of 40 years accompanied by cessation of menstruation. A couple must be counseled on the effect of POI on future fertility and once diagnosed a woman needs to be evaluated annually. She requires hormone replacement therapy for bone support, cardiovascular and sexual health. Material and methods: A prospective study was conducted in department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at AIIMS Rishikesh from November 2016 to November 2018. We studied the sociodemographic profile, etiology, clinical presentation of 30 patients presenting with POI. Women less than 40 years of age with amenorrhea lasting for four months with two FSH levels in menopausal range (> 40 mIU/ml) obtained atleast one month apart were included in the study. Results: 18 (60%) women presented with amenorrhea between 1 to 2 years. 17 (56.67%) women belonged to urban region and 13 (43.33%) resided in rural area. 22 (73.3%) women had infertility of which 17 (77.27%) had primary infertility and 5 (22.72%) had secondary infertility. For the rest 8 (26.66%) women hypoestrogenic symptom, including vasomotor was the major concern. Conclusion: When POI is diagnosed in adolescent females, patient and her family are often unprepared for such news and its implications are compromised fertility and impaired self-esteem as well as long term hormonal therapy. As clinician we should be mindful of the sensitive nature of this medical condition.