Early knowledge of premature ovarian failure

What is ovary

The ovaries are a pair of gonad organs, only about four centimeters in diameter, equivalent to the size of a pigeon egg, and weighing only 5 grams. They are hidden in the "shelter" formed by the uterus, fallopian tubes and broad ligaments, and are connected to the pelvis and uterus by two ties.

Function of the ovaries

As a female sexual organ, one of my most important tasks is ovulation. After the fetus is born, there are 2 million follicles, wow, that's too much, it doesn't matter if you waste a little, but most of them will automatically close and degenerate to only 300,000 during puberty. During the reproductive period, a batch of follicles will develop every month, and generally only one will mature. Only 400-500 follicles will be successful in a woman's lifetime, so cherish every ovulation!

Second function: secrete essential estrogen and progesterone for women, and also secrete a small amount of androgen. Hormone regulation and menstruation are precisely controlled by the "hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis". From the development of follicles, the estrogen level gradually increases, stimulating the endometrium to slowly thicken, reaching a peak before ovulation and feeding back to the "headquarters" to induce ovulation. After the corpus luteum forms and secretes progesterone and estrogen to a peak at the same time, the corpus luteum slowly shrinks, and the endometrium loses hormone support and sheds and bleeds to form the female sign of "period", which repeats until the follicles are exhausted, the hormones are exhausted, and amenorrhea occurs, and the face becomes old. As women age, their ovaries will gradually age, and the function of the ovaries will slowly decline. Basically, the ovaries will fail around the age of 50.

What is premature ovarian failure?

When young women under 40 years old have infrequent and irregular menstruation, or even amenorrhea, or their ovarian reserve function stops functioning, it is called "premature aging."

Common causes of premature ovarian failure

1. Bad living habits

Modern women face increasing pressure in their daily lives and work, coupled with irregular sleep and diet, smoking and drinking, which cause their body's resistance to drop and their immune function to become disordered, easily inducing premature ovarian failure.

2. Pelvic surgery and chemoradiotherapy

With the improvement of surgical techniques and the rational application of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the survival rate of young female patients with malignant tumors has been significantly improved. However, temporary or permanent ovarian function decline caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is also the most common cause of premature ovarian failure.

3. Genetic autoimmune factors such as infection

Studies have found that this may be an important cause of premature ovarian failure. More than 20% of patients with premature ovarian failure are accompanied by autoimmune diseases, and autoimmune diseases may occur before premature ovarian failure. The most common is thyroiditis. Therefore, if you find that you have thyroiditis, you should treat it in time to avoid damage to the ovaries.

4. Frequent artificial abortions

Some people would say that abortion "scrapes the uterus" and has nothing to do with the ovaries... If you think so, you are wrong. During pregnancy, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in women's bodies rise. Repeated abortions will artificially interrupt pregnancy, causing estrogen and progesterone levels in the body to drop sharply, causing hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis regulation disorder, which can lead to irregular menstruation, even amenorrhea, and premature ovarian failure. If permanent amenorrhea occurs, you may "never have the chance" to get pregnant again in this life...

5. Long-term oral emergency contraceptive pills

Emergency contraceptive pills can only be used as a temporary remedy after contraceptive measures fail. They cannot be used as regular contraceptive pills. Taking them once is equivalent to 10 times the regular contraceptive pills, which is very harmful to women's bodies. Long-term use will inevitably affect ovarian function. The main reason is that progesterone has an antagonistic effect on estrogen. If progesterone is supplemented in large doses for a long time, it will cause a decrease in estrogen levels, relieve the inhibitory effect on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, cause an increase in FSH and LH, and lead to premature ovarian failure.

prevention

1. Adjust your mindset and change your lifestyle habits

Get up early and go to bed early, quit smoking and drinking, learn how to reduce your burden, adjust your mindset, and strive to put yourself in the best condition.

2. Eat a balanced diet

In daily life, you can take some vitamins, fats and other minerals to prevent premature ovarian failure. The diet structure should be balanced. Do not eat too much spicy food to avoid excessive damage to the ovaries. Eat more cabbage, cauliflower, sunflower oil, sesame oil and other foods rich in vitamin E, animal offal, eggs, milk and soy products rich in vitamin B2, and cereals, beans and lean meat rich in vitamin B6.

3. Exercise

Sitting for a long time in work and life will cause a certain amount of pressure on the uterus and affect the ovaries. You should develop the habit of getting up and moving around after sitting for an hour, and go for a run in your spare time to strengthen your physical fitness and improve the ovarian ovulation function.

4. Traditional Chinese Medicine

Premature ovarian failure can be treated with some Chinese medicine, which can improve ovarian function, have a certain nutritional effect on the uterus, and effectively prevent premature ovarian failure.

If a beauty-conscious woman is compared to a garden, then the most intimate part of this garden is undoubtedly the ovaries, which are known as the source of life and the driving force of youth. To delay aging and menopause, it is necessary to take care of and maintain the ovaries as early as possible.

Note: There is no copyright issue for the pictures in this article

Author: Liu Zhou, Wang Ying, Zhao Jiangxia, Zhoupu Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Health and Medical College