Premature ovarian failure from current perspective.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a syndrome characterised by amenorrhoea, hypoestrogenism and hypergonadotropinism before the age of 40. It is a disorder affecting approximately 1% of women <40 years, 1/1,000 women by the age of 30 and 1/10,000 women by the age of 20. POF is not merely an early menopause. Up to 50% of the patients with POF will have intermittent and unpredictable ovarian function which may persist for some years. Heterogeneity of POF is also reflected by the variety of possible causes, including autoimmunity, toxics, drugs, radiation, infectious as well as genetic defects. HRT remains the cornerstone of treatment and the only proven method of achieving pregnancy in these patients is by ovum donation.