Hypofunction of the ovaries - a violation of the production of hormones by the ovaries - a complex concept that includes a range of states of abnormalities due to various causes and manifested in a decrease in the functions of the ovaries.
Depending on the age of the woman, this pathology can take the following forms:
- later puberty;
- amenorrhea in the childbearing period;
- hypomenorrhoea;
- early menopause .
Hypofunction of the ovary - symptoms
Before the onset of puberty, primary ovarian hypofunction may develop, the symptoms of which are delay in the onset of puberty, underdevelopment of primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Depending on the severity of the clinical picture, three degrees of decrease in ovarian function are distinguished:
- mild degree of ovarian insufficiency - manifested in mild underdevelopment of secondary sexual characteristics, in particular, of the mammary glands. The uterus is relatively developed, but the menstrual function is impaired - there are no menstrual cycles, scant discharge, and juvenile uterine bleeding;
- the average degree is expressed in the apparent underdevelopment of sexual characteristics - the external genitalia and mammary glands are infantile, the hair is very weak, there is no menstruation at all;
- at a severe degree of hypofunction of the ovaries, the uterus is much less than the average age norm, the endometrium does not function. Sex glands and hair on intimate places are practically absent.
The signs of secondary ovarian hypofunction also depend on the severity of the disorder. A mild degree of ovarian failure is characterized by amenorrhoea, but the uterus and endometrium are sufficiently developed. In more severe cases, it is possible to join vegeto-vascular and psycho-neurological changes characteristic of the climacteric period.
Ovarian hypofunction causes
The causes of congenital ovarian failure can be a variety of negative factors affecting the child during the period of intrauterine development, for example:
- infectious diseases (rubella, parotitis, tuberculosis);
- chromosomal abnormalities;
- different types of irradiation;
- malnutrition and malnutrition of the mother, lack of necessary vitamins and minerals in food.
Secondary hypofunction can be caused by autoimmune diseases that can disrupt the production of hormones by the ovaries.
Ovarian hypopnea and pregnancy
Secondary hypofunction of the ovaries often causes infertility and miscarriage. The ability to become pregnant in the presence of this pathology depends on the degree of ovarian failure. With timely detection and adequate treatment of this pathology, the prognosis is quite favorable.
Hypofunction of the ovaries - treatment
If ovarian hypofunction has developed and been detected before puberty, the treatment is carried out in several stages:
- Therapy that stimulates the development of genital organs.
- Formation of the cyclic functioning of the genital organs and the corresponding transformation of the endometrium.
- Therapy if necessary to perform a generative function.
- Relapse prevention.
In addition to long-term hormone therapy, the package of therapeutic measures includes excluding the influence on the patient of harmful factors, normalization of her way of life, alternation of sleep and rest regimes, healthy eating.
In the case of ovarian failure in a woman of childbearing age, the principles of therapy are similar and differ only in the second stage of treatment, when hormonal drugs are prescribed in much larger doses and are designed to simulate and, ultimately, restore the menstrual cycle that the woman had before development pathology.