title: Assessing the emotional needs of women with spontaneous premature ovarian failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine women's emotional responses to learning the diagnosis of premature ovarian failure (POF) and identify the sources of support used for coping.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred women previously diagnosed with POF of median age 28 years at diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured telephone interviews based on focus group findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Manner informed of POF diagnosis, emotional response, and areas of emotional support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 71% were unsatisfied with the manner in which they were informed by their clinician, and 89% reported experiencing moderate to severe emotional distress at the time. The degree of emotional distress was positively correlated with the degree of dissatisfaction with the manner in which the women had been informed of the diagnosis. Thorough and accurate medical information on POF, support of others, and spirituality were perceived as helpful in coping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Learning the diagnosis of POF can be emotionally traumatic and difficult for women. The findings suggest that the manner in which patients are informed of this diagnosis can significantly impact their level of distress. Patients perceive a need for clinicians to spend more time with them and provide more information about POF.
authors.affiliation: Section on Women's Health Research, Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Allison A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Groff
authors.forename: Sharon N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Covington
authors.forename: Lynn R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Halverson
authors.forename: O Ray
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Vien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vanderhoof
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Calis
authors.forename: Lawrence M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*