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Young Women Who Are Post Menopausal
Not all irregular periods are due to stress. Not all infertility problems happen after your 40. In fact, the former could be masking the latter. And without the right kind of testing, a woman might not know until it’s too late.
Most doctors prescribe birth control pills for women whose monthly cycle is irregular. Typically, the pills get everything going in sync. But for women who have primary ovarian insufficiency, the pills and regularity give women a false sense of security. Everything appears to be working just fine.
And then they try to get pregnant.
NPR’s Deborah Franklin interviewed one such woman, who had been on the pill for years to correct her irregular periods. When Maureen Doherty wanted to get pregnant and couldn’t, her doctor ran tests and found the unthinkable: Doherty was post-menopausal.
She had been living with POI, undiagnosed, for years. In hindsight, there were symptoms. Hot flashes, less predictable periods. Her doctor listened and then wrote the prescription. No further tests, which could have led to earlier diagnosis and at least some chance of her getting pregnant.
Doctors are searching for a POI treatment. In the meantime, they’re pushing for more testing of women who show at least some of the signs. The earlier it’s diagnosed, the better the chances of getting pregnant.
Undiagnosed POI isn’t just a fertility problem. One doctor told of 23-year-old twin sisters whose POI led to such severe bone loss that scans of their bones appeared to be those of a 77-year-old.
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Photo: NPR.org
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Mary Griffin commented on May 18 10 at 1:38 amWhen you reach menopause, you may need some hormone replacement therapy just to stay on top shape…-
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