POI Research Study
You’ve Arrived! Welcome to POI Research Study:
A PhD research project focusing on:
Women's Lived Experience of Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
Nice to Meet You
An Open Book
About the researcher
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Kate Pleace is a specialist women’s health nurse specializing in both fertility and the menopause. Kate qualified as a nurse in 2007 and completed her MSc in reproductive medicine in 2020. Kate works both independently offering consultations and work-based training and is also as a nurse lecturer. Kate is a PhD student at the Centre of Reproduction Research at De Montfort University. Kate commenced her part time PhD in 2022 and her PhD is focused on women’s lived experiences of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) previously known as premature ovarian failure or a premature menopause is when a women experiences menopause prematurely before the age of 40.
While symptoms are often the same as the menopause the condition differs from the menopause not only because of the age of women effected but also because there is often varying and unpredictable ovarian function in around 50% of cases (Nelson 2009).
In recent years the known etiologies for POI has expanded. Possible causes include ovarian surgery, chemotherapy, genetic, chromosomal abnormalities, infection, and autoimmune disorders. For around 90% of cases the cause of POI is unknown and remains a mystery (Nelson 2009).
The prevalence of POI in the general population is around 1% of women under the age of 40. POI effects 1 in 10,000 women under the age of 20, and 1 in 100 under the age of 40 (The Daisy Network 2023).
Despite significant progress in the area of reproductive endocrinology our understanding of POI is limited, and the area is greatly under researched. Change is needed in POI, research, patient care, and support as well as a coordinated approach to care.
A woman diagnosed with the condition requires integrated care for both her physical, reproductive, and mental health (Cooper et al 2011). Currently for many women with the condition, the care they receive is often compartmentalized or absent, with women often being prescribed HRT with limited follow up or other supporting care offered.
Without further research healthcare practitioners are left to advise and treat women with this condition using post-menopausal practice guidelines which are not appropriate and based on a different patient population.
Often a diagnosis of POI is a shock and life changing event for women. Most commonly the diagnosis is made alongside other medical investigations such as treatment for infertility.
POI is a chronic disorder that not only disrupts the dreams of women, it can also affect their fertility. Conceiving a natural pregnancy is possible but extremely rare, with the best chance of a pregnancy being via fertility treatment such as egg donation.
Sufferers are often left feeling isolated, grieving and out of step with their friends and piers. These women often experience anxiety, depression and are in great need of emotional support to help them navigate the condition and their new norm.
References:
Cooper, A, Baker, V, Sterling, E, Ryan, M, Woodruff, T, Nelson, L. (2011) Journal of Fertility and Sterility; 95 (6) P1890-1897
Daisy Network. (2023) https://www.daisynetwork.org/ site accessed on the 24/11/2023.
Fenton, A. (2015) Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: Pathogenesis and Management; Journal of Midlife Health 6 (4) P147-153
Nelson, L. (2009) Primary Ovarian Insufficiency; New England Journal of Medicine; 360. P606-614
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