Hypergonadotropic forms of amenorrhea in young women.

Hypergonadotropic forms of amenorrhea in young women are many and varied, and the disorder is not nearly as uncommon as previously believed. It is likely that all physicians seeing women with amenorrhea will encounter this disorder. Careful evaluation is warranted to eliminate any associated autoimmune disorders. Because of the high likelihood of osteopenia in affected individuals, estrogen replacement therapy is warranted. Although pregnancy is possible in women with secondary hypergonadotropic amenorrhea, remarkably it most commonly occurs in women utilizing exogenous estrogen. Women desirous of achieving a pregnancy are best served by assisted reproductive technology utilizing donor oocytes. Success rates in such patients have been quite high. Thus, physicians today can counsel affected women that pregnancy is indeed possible, even in women with so-called "premature ovarian failure."