MENOPAUSE BEFORE 40 - PREMATURE, BUT NOT ALWAYS PERMANENT

Seventy-five women with premature menopause presented to a reproductiv e endocrinologist over a 3-year interval. Thirty-five had an identifia ble cause, usually a chromosomal defect, autoantibodies or cytotoxic c hemotherapy. Forty had no apparent cause and of this group 5 conceived on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Overall, this group of oestroge n deficient women had spent nearly half of their menopausal years to d ate, not on HRT.