Can stress cause the POF or mimic it in some way?
There is no good evidence that POF is related to stress. Stress can cause a loss of periods but that is usually on a different basis than POF. Stress typically causes problems for the menstrual cycle by making too little FSH and LH get released from the pituitary. There is a very rare condition in which severe, life-threatening stress can cause a disorder like POF. The disorder is called ‘Netter’s Amernorrhea’ named after a French physician who first described it in the 1950’s. He found about 4 women with POF in whom it seemed to be related to very severe, life-threatening stress (like almost dying in an accident, that sort of stress!), but it’s never been duplicated. It remains a medical curiosity. As far as I can tell, it has not been reported on since!
