Infertility case sharing – Female infertility, premature ovarian failure

29 years old, Female, Macy, premature ovarian failure

“I was only 27 at that time and I have never imagined having premature ovarian failure. If I didn’t do the examination and changed my family planning, I’m afraid I won’t have the chance for assistive reproductive technology(ART)!” Macy is a piano teacher who loves children and has always wanted a baby with her husband of the same age. However, after two years of “hard work”, this couple failed to do so and her husband didn’t blame her for this.

Macy is a sports-lover as much as her husband does and is healthy all the time, so she wonders what makes pregnancy so difficult. Eventually, she sought help from a gynecologist. The doctor performed a blood test for a hypothalamus hormone, FSH, which showed that her FSH level was greater than normal, and diagnosed her as premature ovarian failure which the function of her ovaries were the same as those in a 43-year-old and this is supposed to be related to her gene. This piece of news gave her a hard blow and she burst in to tears and worried that her husband may not be able to accept it.

“I have always been healthy and my period comes on time, plus I never had any menstrual pain. This is almost impossible for me. Doctor said this disease has no special symptom.” As a mother of a daughter, Macy recalled the day she got the news and was still in shock. She stated that according to the doctor, average women have their menopause at the age of 45-55. Back then her ovarian function has deteriorated to the age of 43, ovarian number decrease, and ova had poor quality, so it is nearly impossible for her to get pregnant naturally. Therefore the doctor suggested her to have ART as soon as possible; otherwise the chance will decrease as disease progress.

After discussing with her husband, Macy decided to have ART, which had to inject hormones to stimulate ovulation. Due to her condition, larger dosage was needed, which caused a certain extent of discomfort. With the wish she had, she did not complain. However, her first trial was a failure. Since the quality of the four ova she ovulated was poor, they cannot be transplanted to her uterus. “The first trial failed, I was devastated and hopeless. With my husband and doctor’s encouragement, we tried again in the coming cycle.” She said.

Lastly on the second trial, this couple finally got what they wanted. Though only 3 ova were ovulated, one was successfully transplanted. At the moment the baby girl was born, Macy was so happy that no words can describe this feeling. If she hadn’t had the tests earlier, changed her plan earlier, she would not be able to get pregnant and had her daughter.

After giving birth to her daughter, she is likely to have early menopause, so she has to receive hormone therapy and regular physical examination to ensure the absence of disease associated with menopause. “Women in menopause are likely to have osteoporosis and heart diseases, so doctors have to start hormone replacement to prevent early menopause.” Macy was grateful for doctor’s care and treatment, so that she can have the energy and health required to take care of her family.

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Readers should consult their physician before considering treatment, and should not interpret their condition solely based on the information above.