Endocrine Abstracts

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) describes a continuum of impaired ovarian function that includes both primary amenorrhea and premature menopause. A significant minority of the cases are familial suggesting a genetic basis for POI. Several genetic causes of syndromic and non-syndromic forms of POI have been identified. Syndromic forms are associated with monosomy X, rearrangements of Xq and mutations in the APECED, FOXL2, EIF2B, ATM and GALT</...

The population of follicles within the mammalian ovary declines steadily with age. The majority of follicles in the ovary are at the primordial (resting) stage of development, each consisting of a small oocyte surrounded by a single layer of flattened granulosa cells (GCs). The rate at which follicles enter the growing phase, involving oocyte growth and GC shape change and proliferation, is a major determinant of the rate at which the reserve of primordial follicles is deplete...

Several reasons exist for wishing to have advance notice of the timing of menopause. Since menopause relates strongly to the occurrence of natural infertility some 10 years earlier, long-term prediction of menopause may help women to timely start attempts to have children. If premature or early menopause could be predicted, preventive measures could be taken in order to minimise the related long-term health risks. Incipient ovarian failure in terms of the current inability to ...

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