Menopause And Pregnancy - Menopause

Pregnancy During The Menopause

Many women are shocked to discover that they can still technically fall pregnant while having menopausal symptoms. In fact around 2% of pregnancies occur in women who think they can no longer conceive due to the menopause and so stop using contraception during sexual intercourse.

Unfortunately even if a woman is experiencing the common symptoms of menopause it is highly likely that she is still ovulating and so there is a risk of pregnancy. Menopause is considered to be complete when a female has not menstruated for at least 12 consecutive months and so any woman who goes three or four months without a period is not technically classed as menopausal - they are pre-menopausal.

Pre-menopause refers to the time period before true menopause is reached and this can last anywhere up to 8 years although many women find they are pre-menopausal for around four years. During this time the ovaries are still functioning although they may only produce eggs and hormones sporadically. When they do release an egg the woman is fertile and she can fall pregnant however when they fail to release an egg the woman is infertile and safe from pregnancy.

Obviously as the pre-menopausal years pass by the ovaries become less and less productive because of the steady decline in hormone levels. This means that a woman becomes less fertile and so less likely to fall pregnant the further she is into pre-menopause.

Unfortunately some women make the mistake of thinking that as soon as they start to experience the symptoms of pre-menopause they are no longer able to conceive and so stop using contraception; be it the contraceptive pill or one of the barrier methods. Women can remain fertile for many years after their first pre-menopause symptoms begin however the more time that passes the less fertile they become.

It is important that all women who are pre-menopausal continue to use contraception until 12 months after their last period so that they can be sure they have reached menopause. The probability of falling pregnant during pre-menopause is very small however the risk is there and it should be taken seriously.

This is especially true for younger people who think they are experiencing pre-menopause when in fact the symptoms are due to a totally unrelated medical disorder that doesn't in any way make them infertile. Similarly women who have undergone radiotherapy or chemotherapy should also use contraceptive protection as their menopausal symptoms may be due to temporary menopause and their ovaries could begin to function normally again at anytime.

Some women may want to conceive even though they have been told that they are pre-menopausal and in these cases they shouldn't lose hope. It is possible to become pregnant, especially in the early stages of pre-menopause when the ovaries function normally for most of the time however if a woman finds it difficult to conceive then it may be worth while talking to their doctor about the possibility of IVF. Often this can stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs so that a female can still conceive naturally.