If premature menopause happens before puberty, the woman will present with lack of sexual developments and her periods will not started. If the condition presents after puberty, the woman will suffer from amenorrhoea and infertility . The diagnosis of premature menopause can be a shattering experience to the women and her family. At present, the only chance of a pregnancy for women wih premature menopause lies through egg donation . It may be possible in the future to restore ovarian function in some women with a positive family history through the transplantation of their ovarian tissue , which had been frozen years before thus allowing natural conception or IVF .
Embryo donation is another option if the male partner is also infertile.
Since the woman's estrogen production is low, hormone replacement treatment is prescribed to put the brakes on the premature ageing effects of menopause. In the majority of cases no cause can be found. Chromosomal abnormalities, such as Turner's syndrome , where the ovaries contain only a few follicles . Genetic, as some women's ovaries run out of eggs long before their middle age. This is possibly due to an increased rate of disappearance of follicles.