title: Aetiological profile of women presenting with premature ovarian failure to a single tertiary care center in Oman.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Premature ovarian failure is estimated to affect at least 1%-3% of adult women. There are several aetio-pathogenic factors that may cause premature ovarian failure including iatrogenic causes, genetic, autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic. The aim of this study was to identify the aetiological profile of women with premature ovarian failure presenting to Sultan Qaboos University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective medical record review was conducted from June 2006 to October 2012. All women diagnosed with symptoms and/or laboratory evidence of premature ovarian failure (follicle stimulating hormone ≥40 UI/L and less than 40 years of age) were enrolled in this study. Possible causes of premature ovarian failure were obtained and classified into main aetiological factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 90 patients during the study period, of which, 39 (43%) were following chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. The second most common reason was idiopathic (n = 29; 31%) followed by autoimmune diseases (n = 8; 9%) and genetic disorders (n = 7; 8%). Most chemotherapy cases (69%) were among the young age group, while in the older age group idiopathic was the commonest (48%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to the world literature, the most common cause of premature ovarian failure in this study was chemotherapy induced, especially in young girls undergoing bone marrow transplantation. This is due to high prevalence of transplantable hereditary haematological disorders like thalassemia and sickle-cell disease in this part of the world. Current standard of care recommends cryopreservation of ovarian tissue to preserve ovarian function in young girls undergoing bone marrow transplantation for such disorders.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman gowrie61@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Vaidyanathan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gowri
authors.affiliation: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Shukri
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Fatma Abdulaziz
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Al-Farsi
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Nadya Ahmed
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Al-Busaidi
authors.affiliation: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Salam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Kindi
authors.affiliation: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Shahina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daar
authors.affiliation: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Khalil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al Farsi
authors.affiliation: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Anil V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Pathare
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008594:Menopause, Premature; D008875:Middle Aged; D009850:Oman / Q000453:epidemiology; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone
keywords: Amenorrhea; idiopathic; menopause; premature ovarian failure