Menopause can be a stressful time in a woman's life. There is no way to tell when the onset of menopause may occur and signal the end of a woman's reproductive years. This milestone may take place naturally as early as the age of 40. However, due to unforeseen circumstances such as disease or cancer, some women may experience menopause in their 20s or 30s. In such cases, there is an option that women can seek for menopause reversal in order to prolong their fertile years.
Background
Women reach menopause when the body ceases ovulation. This can be brought on by the natural aging process, medical conditions such as cancer or other external causes such as accidents. When the body no longer ovulates, a chain reaction of events occurs. No eggs are released; thus becoming pregnant is nearly impossible as a result. The absence of ovulation also stops the production of progesterone, which is a necessary hormone needed to counteract the effects of another hormone that the body is constantly producing: estrogen. An excess of estrogen causes a series of symptoms anywhere from physical symptoms such as hot flashes to more serious conditions such as osteoporosis.
The Procedure
Menopause reversal is an extremely new and experimental procedure that has produced desirable results in the patients who have undergone the operation. The procedure is performed by transplanting ovarian tissue. The tissue is obtained from the patient, which she had removed and frozen at a previous time. The tissue is then grafted into place through a surgical procedure and if successful, it begins producing the female hormones present prior to menopause.
Candidates
This procedure is ideal for patients who experience early menopause due to cancer or other medical reasons that may have caused damage to the ovaries. Many of the successful candidates have been young women who had their own ovarian tissues extracted and frozen prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments. This procedure is not recommended for older women as they will have fewer eggs within the ovarian tissue thus making the procedure counterproductive for fertility purposes. Hormone therapy is recommended for those older women who wish to have their menopause symptoms reversed.
Benefits
Besides the joy of experiencing youth and the normal aging process again, women who undergo menopause reversal may have a variety of other benefits. For many, the most important benefit is the fact that they may be fertile and have children. The procedure will also postpone the other menopause symptoms such as osteoporosis, a faster rate of aging and hot flashes.
Disadvantages
As with all medical procedures, there are some disadvantages associated with menopause reversal. It is not for everyone since the procedure has only shown to be effective when a woman's own ovarian tissue is used. Donor tissue requires special drugs to prevent the immune system from rejecting the tissue, but these same drugs may produce side effects in the woman such as delayed ovulation or birth defects of the potential fetus. This procedure is also only ideal for younger women under the age of 35 who already have a higher fertility rate than their older counterparts. Complications such as infection or rejection of the tissue may also occur.
Tags: menopause reversal, ovarian tissue, This procedure, aging process, cancer other