ABSTRACT
The reported median age of the menopause is 51years1. Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a condition leading to amenorrhea, hypoestrogenism and elevated gonadotropins before the age of 40 years. The use of age 40 as a cut-off to define POF is largely empirical. An alternative definition proposed is to use two standard deviations from the expected age of menopause, or age 45years2; however, the use of age 40 persists in the context of published research.
