Premature ovarian failure occurs when the ovaries prematurely go into a menopausal state. This can happen due to many causes including surgery, medications, genetics, auto-immune disease, and viral infections.
Women with premature ovarian failure typically present with normal menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood changes, high cholesterol, and difficulties with weight loss. Most of the time when premature ovarian failure is confirmed, women are offered the birth control pill to help them manage side effects.
However, an overwhelming amount of research is showing that the birth control pill should not be the mainstay treatment for POF, instead we should we using bio-identical hormone therapy.
There are several reasons why birth control is not a good option for premature ovarian failure. The first reason is that the form of estrogen found in birth control is not the form that protects against bone loss. Estradiol, the form that is found in bio-identical hormones, is the only form of estrogen that has been found to help.
Second, the typical regime of birth control which involves 3 weeks on, 1 week off opens women up the possibility of estrogen deficiency, which is not good when you are reliant on it for hormonal health. In contrast, bio-identical hormone therapy is given continuously so that women never become deficient of needed estrogen.
Thirdly, the cardiovascular risk profile of birth control is higher then that of bio-identical hormone therapy. This is very important given that bio-identical hormone therapy provides a better benefit with less risk.
Bio-identical hormone therapy is a very effective treatment for premature ovarian failure, and can help many women feel 'normal' again despite their ovarian challenges.
Curious about bio-identical hormones and if its the right fit for you? Call today to set up a free 15 minute consult to get started. CALL HERE
References
Fournier, A., Berrino, F., & Clavel-Chapelon, F. (2008). Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: Results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 107(1), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-007-9523-x
Langrish, J. P., Mills, N. L., Bath, L. E., Warner, P., Webb, D. J., Kelnar, C. J., Critchley, H. O. D., Newby, D. E., & Wallace, W. H. B. (2009). Cardiovascular effects of physiological and standard sex steroid replacement regimens in premature ovarian failure. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex.: 1979), 53(5), 805–811. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.126516
Sullivan, S. D., Sarrel, P. M., & Nelson, L. M. (2016). Hormone replacement therapy in young women with primary ovarian insufficiency and early menopause. Fertility and Sterility, 106(7), 1588–1599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.09.046
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