Heartbreaking condition with no known cause

IVF offers hope for pregnancy

PREMATURE Ovarian Insufficiency happens when the ovaries stop functioning before the natural age of menopause.

This means the ovaries are no longer capable of producing eggs.

They are also unable to make the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are really important for women’s health and their well-being.

Donated eggs and IVF are probably the only option for a POI sufferer who wants to have children.

POI charity Daisy Network said: “About one in 100 women under 40, one in 1,000 under 30 and one in 10,000 under 20 experiences POI. It can be caused by autoimmune conditions, cancer treatment, surgery or genetics.

“However for 90 per cent of women diagnosed with POI the cause is unfortunately idiopathic, meaning there is no known cause and it happens spontaneously.

“Getting a POI diagnosis means that because there is an extremely low chance of ovulation, IVF with egg donation is the suggested route to pregnancy.

“It is also necessary for women to take hormone replacement therapy up until the natural age of menopause to get those vital hormones they are lacking to support bone, brain and heart health.”

A BRITISH farmer has grown a bumper crop of watermelons in his best ever season, helped by the warmest UK spring on record and the current heatwave.

The 6,000 melons grown at Oakley Farms, near Wisbech, Cambs, are larger and sweeter than normal. Grower Nick Molesworth said: “The fantastic spring helped the seeds germinate and develop a better root system than ever before, which made the plants stronger.”

The fruit will go on sale in around 100 Tesco stores this weekend, at £2.99 each – same price as the imported variety.

Tesco’s James Cackett said: “The quality of these UK watermelons is so good shoppers will not be able to taste the difference from those we import from Spain.”