Women's Experience of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) Diagnosis: Update on Actual Practices and Patient's Follow up
Women's Experience of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) Diagnosis: Update on Actual Practices and Patient's Follow up
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects 2,8 to 3,5% of women before the age of 40. Previous foreign studies revealed that only half of POI disclosures occurred during a medical consultation and that the diagnosis was often discussed in less than 5 minutes. As a result, most of patients felt a lack of information, and consequently sought data on the internet. None of these studies were conducted in France. The aim of this study is to analyze current practices related to POI diagnosis and to assess women's satisfaction
POI is defined by the association of 1 clinical and 1 biological criterion: amenorrhea or spaniomenorrhea of > 4 months with onset before 40 year of age, and elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) > 25 IU/L on 2 assays at > 4 weeks' interval, associated with low estradiol level. This condition affects approximately 2% of young women.
POI can first lead to infertility and various symptoms caused by a lack of estrogens. Thus, patients may experience vaso-motor flushes, genitourinary syndrome, sleep disturbance, humor disorder, decrease libido and dyspareunia. After several years, POI can lead to osteoporosis, increased cardiovascular risk, and dementia. The administration of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help prevent these complications. Otherwise, POI may result in psychological repercussions such as anxiety, anger, loss of self-esteem, even depression.
Few studies analyzed POI diagnosis and the way it was perceived by patients. Alzubaidi et al. and subsequently Groff et al. reported that only half of POI notifications occurred during a medical consultation. Moreover, 35% of the consultations lasted less than 5 minutes. Thereby, Singer et al. founds that 68% of women felt inadequately informed. The majority of patients sought additional information on the internet.
No recent study focused on the disclosure of POI diagnosis, and none of the existing studies were conducted in France. The purpose of this study is to analyze the circumstances surrounding POI diagnosis and to evaluate women's experience.
In other ways, in 2016, Bachelot et al. emphasized that after more than 5 years after POI diagnosis, only 61,7% of women were undergoing HRT whereas only 6% had no regular follow-up. Moreover, among the treated patients, 42,6% had already stopped HRT for more than 1 year without any medical recommendation. Therefore, this study aims to examine the association between women satisfaction regarding POI disclosure and their compliance to HRT and medical follow-up
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