Menopause International > Volume 15, Number 2 > Pp. 70-71

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Case report

Ovarian sickling as a proposed mechanism for premature ovarian failure necessitating ovum donation

A R Chase, J Howard and E Oteng-Ntim 

Department of Women's Health, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Correspondence: E Oteng-Ntim, Department of Women's Health, 10th Floor, North Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK. Email: eugene.oteng-ntim{at}gstt.nhs.uk
Iron overload in female patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) has been reported to result in gonadal dysfunction. To date there has been no report in the literature of ovarian sickling being a reason for gonadodysgenesis (premature ovarian failure [POF]) in women. This case report describes POF in a woman with SCD and suggests ovarian sickling as its cause. We propose that frequent episodes of intravascular sickling, vessel occlusion and infarction as well as tissue hypoxia associated with chronic anaemia could account for the ovarian dysgenesis and hence POF.

Key Words: Sickle cell disease • ovarian failure • subfertility • donor gametes • IVF

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