Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: Strategies to Preserve Good Health and Fertility

Abstract

POI remains poorly understood and under-researched. Women with POI require integrated care to address physical, psychosocial and reproductive health as well as preventative strategies to maintain long-term health. However, there is an absence of evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and management. For many aspects of POI research, a prospective international database recruiting many thousands of cases is the only realistic way in which meaningful data will be gathered to answer many of the questions for which there is only speculation at present. As is the case with a number of other centres, we have been collecting data from our cohort of women with POI for a number of years. We have over 500 subjects to date registered in our West London Menopause Centre database. The next step is to amalgamate these data with those of our colleagues globally. We have already had verbal agreement from more than 20 international experts in POI who would be willing to contribute to such a database. An online Website is currently being designed and is due to go live this year. We hope this will ultimately lead to better understanding of the condition and the establishment of refined guidelines for the targeted care of young women with POI to optimise both their short- and long-term outcomes.