What is premature ovarian failure (premature menopause)?
In addition to causing immediate infertility, cancer treatments can also cause you to go into menopause early. Premature ovarian failure is defined as menopause before the age of 40 years. All women are born with a finite number of eggs—you do not grow new ones. As you age, your supply of eggs naturally diminishes until you no longer have many viable eggs, and you enter menopause. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can speed up this process by damaging or destroying your eggs.
