Sadly, women with POF are also run a much higher risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, memory loss, and a higher risk of premature death. The usual treatment that is offered is replacement hormone treatment from either the contraceptive pill or HRT. Both of these medications carry a higher risk of risk of stroke, heart disease and breast cancer as well the unpleasant side effects many women suffer when taking them. .

Now a small study done in Scotland has found that young women with ovarian failure would benefit from taking natural bio-identical hormones rather than synthetic ones and certainly safer for them than taking the contraceptive pill to try and improve their condition.

The women in the study were given an oestradiol patch (a natural oestrogen) and either vaginal or oral progesterone, not a synthetic progestogen. The doses of progesterone (200mg) and oestradiol (0.10 mg) that were given daily are quite high, but it was found that on the natural hormone regime the women’s’ blood pressure went down and their kidney function improved significantly.

The Scottish study believe that the success of the treatment was down to the transdermal delivery of the hormones and the fact they did not have any of the side effects you would expect from using synthetic hormones.

One other benefit for women using natural progesterone for POF instead of being given either the contraceptive pill or HRT is that they get the bone-building benefit of natural progesterone and are so more protected from osteoporosis which does not occur when the synthetic hormones are given.