Menopause and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

In the past years, women between the ages of 40 and 55 have increasingly experienced unplanned pregnancies. Why does it happen and is the question “can you get pregnant after menopause” urgent?

Can You Get Pregnant During Menopause?

There is a reasonable explanation for being in menopause and pregnant: when the climacteric occurs, women cease to fear an unwanted pregnancy and pay less attention to contraception. They do not think that it is possible to become pregnant with menopause. How is it that conception is possible after menstruation has stopped? Can women get pregnant after menopause?

Menopause is divided into several periods. First comes perimenopause. Usually, this stage begins at 35-37 years. In the female body, the level of the hormone estrogen slowly decreases, and she begins to notice the irregularity of the menstrual cycle. Perimenopause is accompanied by characteristic disorders: sweating, memory impairment, a sensation of heat in the head and sleep problems. However, pregnancy is still possible. Moreover, at this age, conception often comes as a surprise, because the symptoms of the perimenopausal period and pregnancy are very similar, and a woman may not immediately pay attention to them. Menopause or pregnant?

Perimenopause is followed by menopause. The reference point of this period is the last menstruation. Although menstruation does not come at this time, pregnancy is still possible. Reproductive function during menopause is impaired, but not completely lost. Can a woman get pregnant after menopause? Yes, she can.

The final stage is postmenopause. With its onset, the ailments associated with hormonal changes in the body cease. Due to a lack of estrogen, the body begins to fade, old age is replacing maturity. On average, hormonal adjustment lasts 10 years, but even after the onset of postmenopause, doctors advise using contraceptives over the next year or two.

Can You Get Pregnant After Menopause?

Throughout pregnancy, the level of the sex hormones is lowered, since there is no need for egg production. And with menopause, its percentage in the urine is stably high. To reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy, contraceptives should be taken two more years after the last menstruation. It should be done not to ask yourself later “can you get pregnant after menopause” already knowing the answer.

If you feel unwell, have an increased heart rate, irritability, it is important to consult a doctor immediately. These signs can speak not only about pregnancy but also about serious health problems. There are times when pregnancy for a woman of mature age is not a problem that suddenly fell on her head, but a long-awaited event. The reason may be the desire to give birth to a child in a late marriage or the need for a donor for bone marrow transplantation. Even if menopause has already begun, there is still a chance to have a baby. Medicine knows cases when, after stimulation of the ovaries, a woman managed to be in menopause and pregnant in older years.

The myth that late birth rejuvenates the body has gained wide popularity. But, doctors do not recommend delaying the childbearing because of possible negative consequences for the female body. Being menopause pregnant may be dangerous for a woman.