Premature ovarian failure (POF) is when a woman's ovaries stop working before she is 40. Missed periods are usually the first sign of POF. Later symptoms may be similar to those of natural menopause.
Most women with POF cannot get pregnant naturally. Fertility treatments help a few women; others use donor eggs to have children. There is no treatment that will restore normal ovarian function, though many health care providers suggest taking hormones until age 50. According to the
International Premature Ovarian Failure Association, between 1 and 4% of women suffer from POF – equivalent to between 250,000 and 1 million women in the USA alone.