Menopause Clinic & Research Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, Level 5, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3UJ, UK.
Climacteric. 2011 Aug;14(4):428-37. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2011.571320.
Premature ovarian failure in women under 40 years is uncommon, but not rare (1-3%), with up to 2.5% of adolescents affected. This study aims to investigate women's experiences of diagnosis, perception of cause, treatment, main concerns, long-term consequences and impact on self-esteem, sexual functioning and health-related quality of life.
This was a cross-sectional study, using a single-group design, including quantitative and qualitative measures. Two hundred and twenty questionnaires were sent to women recruited from the databases of two London specialist multidisciplinary clinics and from a national premature menopause self-help website. The questionnaire included the Rosenberg's Self Esteem Questionnaire, SF 36 Health Survey (quality of life), the Sexual Personal Experiences Questionnaire and the Young Menopause Assessment questionnaire, following a pilot to assess acceptability and feasibility.
The response rate was 62% in women aged 19-61 years. The majority of women felt that they had been offered inadequate information; 53% did not know the reason for their condition, 30% obtained a diagnosis within 6 months, and the diagnosis for 22% took up to 3 years. Fertility and bone health were main concerns, followed by emotional well-being. Libido and vaginal dryness were perceived as the main long-term effects by 79% of the women. The internet was the main source of information. The majority requested more information targeted to their age group and 49% requested psychological support, citing a negative impact on their self-esteem.
This study examined women's perceptions of premature ovarian failure, its impact and the services they received. The results can be used to inform service reconfiguration and improvement.
40 岁以下女性的卵巢早衰并不常见，但也并不罕见（1-3%），有多达 2.5%的青少年受到影响。本研究旨在调查女性对诊断的体验、对病因的认知、治疗方法、主要关注点、长期后果以及对自尊、性功能和健康相关生活质量的影响。
这是一项横断面研究，采用单组设计，包括定量和定性测量。向从伦敦两家多学科专家诊所的数据库和全国性的早发性绝经自助网站招募的女性发送了 220 份问卷。问卷包括罗森伯格自尊问卷、SF-36 健康调查（生活质量）、性个人经历问卷和年轻绝经评估问卷，在进行了一项试点研究以评估可接受性和可行性后，加入了该问卷。
19-61 岁女性的回复率为 62%。大多数女性认为她们获得的信息不足；53%不知道自己病情的原因，30%在 6 个月内得到诊断，22%的人则需要 3 年时间。生育能力和骨骼健康是主要关注点，其次是情绪健康。79%的女性认为性欲和阴道干燥是主要的长期影响。互联网是主要的信息来源。大多数女性要求提供更多针对其年龄组的信息，并要求提供 49%的心理支持，理由是这对她们的自尊产生了负面影响。
本研究考察了女性对卵巢早衰的认知、其影响以及她们所接受的服务。研究结果可用于为服务的重新配置和改进提供信息。
