Abstract
Women with premature ovarian failure are often viewed as beginning menopause early in life. The term premature ovarian failure (POF) has generally been used to describe women who present with hypergonadotropic amenorrhea and hypoestrogenism prior to the age of 40 years. Moreover, the initial report of Goldenberg et al. (1), noting that no ovarian follicles were present in young amenorrheic women with elevated circulating concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) of greater than 40 mIU/ml, confirmed that the term ovarian failure is appropriate. The menopause is heralded by the cessation of menses, and it denotes the normal end of cyclic ovulation. The perimenopause then may be defined as that interval of time that immediately precedes the menopause. Viewed in this light, the suggestion that premature ovarian failure may be used as a model for investigation of the perimenopause seems reasonable. This chapter considers the evidence supporting and the evidence refuting the premise that premature ovarian failure is a model for the perimenopause.
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Rebar, R.W., Cedars, M.I., Liu, J.H. (1997). Premature Ovarian Failure: A Model for the Perimenopause?. In: Lobo, R.A. (eds) Perimenopause. Serono Symposia USA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2288-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2288-0_2
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