Is it possible to get pregnant during menopause?

Climax is a natural condition in which a woman's reproductive ability gradually fades. Some are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to become pregnant during such a period and how the pregnancy will proceed.

Menopause and hormone levels

All processes in the human body are interconnected. Many of them occur due to the normal functioning of the endocrine system, in particular egg fertilization and pregnancy. Under the influence of female hormones - estrogen and progesterone, the egg is ripened, then the uterus is prepared to receive and fix the embryo. Along with that, changes are occurring in the mammary gland, as the body prepares to breast-feed a baby.

With age, there is a deterioration in the response of the ovaries to hormones, as a result of which regular and proper maturation of the egg does not always happen. The main sign that a woman will soon experience menopause is irregularity or lack of menstruation.

It must be said that the effect of estrogen protects the vessels of a woman from the appearance of atherosclerosis, for this reason the onset of menopause negatively affects her general condition. It is known that the functioning of arteries and veins affects all body systems, therefore, when a failure occurs in this process, the onset of conception with menopause is considered impossible.

Menopause and delayed menstruation

In most women of mature age, menstruation delay occurs due to stress. This is due to the fact that, as a rule, they can hardly tolerate menopause symptoms. During this period, the most frequent manifestations are flushing, irritability, depression, which also has a negative effect on the work of the ovaries and leads to instability of the menstrual cycle.

Pregnancy after menopause - is it possible?

After 45 years, ovarian function in women is significantly weakened. This happens because the right hormones are produced with a slowdown. But the fact is that in order for the climax to fully come, it will take a certain period of time that can stretch for a long time.

During this period, it remains possible to conceive a child, since the woman's reproductive function fades away not immediately, but gradually.Especially often the onset of ovulation and subsequent fertilization of the egg occurs in the early stages of menopause, for this reason women should be careful and use contraceptives.

Stages of menopause

The onset of menopause is carried out in several stages:

• Premenopause. At this time, the ovaries reduce their function, but do not stop working.
• Perimenopause. During this period, the work of the ovaries is gradually being completed.
• Postmenopause. The egg is completely absent. In such a situation, conception cannot occur.

According to gynecologists, pregnancy with menopause can occur, but not all women are capable of such fertilization. In some cases, when the reproductive function has completely died out, they resort to IVF (in vitro fertilization) using the donor's egg, which makes it possible to carry and have a healthy baby.

Unplanned pregnancy

On average, the age at which menopause occurs is 52 years, but the onset of menopause is individual for each woman. It takes about ten years for the hormonal background to completely rebuild. At the same time, in order for the reproductive function to die out, no more than two years can pass from the moment when the menstruation has finally stopped. It is then that the woman becomes less alert and attentive in terms of contraception, as a result of this there is an increase in the number of abortions. This suggests that most of the fair sex simply do not know whether pregnancy is possible during menopause and whether it is necessary to protect themselves. To choose the right remedy for protection against unwanted pregnancy, you need to visit a gynecologist who will select the appropriate hormonal drugs. These same drugs can reduce the unpleasant symptoms that accompany menopause.

In addition to the fact that even with menopause, pregnancy can occur, not in all cases, the first manifestations of this condition can be noticed in a timely manner. Since the menopause is characterized by instability of the menstrual cycle, a woman may not notice that menstruation has not come. In addition, at this time, she often feels sick, dizzy, so she can take these signs for manifestations of menopause, and not pregnancy. Home test strips for pregnancy can also fail, showing a false result, since the hormonal background in such a period is quite unstable.

How to get pregnant during menopause?

It is believed that the best time to bear and give birth to a healthy baby is the age of a woman 18-38 years old. At the moment, many consider this period more suitable for building a career than for creating a family. Of course, everyone has the right to decide at what age to give birth to children. But still, do not forget about the phenomenon, which happens not so rarely. This is an early menopause, which can come after 35 years.

Bearing a child during menopause can lead to considerable problems with the health of a pregnant woman. But, even knowing this, some women consciously go for it, since pregnancy and the subsequent upbringing of the baby help smooth out the unpleasant manifestations of menopause. It is believed that this can prolong youth, because the hormonal changes that occur during gestation and breastfeeding have a beneficial effect on the body. But in the future there will be a deterioration in the health of the mother, because the supply of necessary substances is significantly reduced.

How is pregnancy with menopause

If a woman decides to maintain a pregnancy that has occurred during menopause, she should be registered as soon as possible at the antenatal clinic. The body of a pregnant woman needs support from the first days.

In the first trimester, in order not to lose the desired child, the woman will have to drink hormonal drugs that will replenish the supply of progesterone in the body. Thanks to such measures, in most cases it is possible to maintain pregnancy until the second trimester. And then the production of this hormone is carried out by the placenta, so its additional use is no longer required.

The survey design is no different from the usual. All pregnant women must pass standard tests: urine, blood, tests for STDs, conduct the necessary screenings, ultrasound, doppler. A screening for genetic defects of the child’s development, amniocentesis (taking amniotic fluid) and cordocentesis (a method for obtaining fetal umbilical cord blood for further research) will be especially relevant during this period. These procedures are necessary in order to detect chromosome mutations and other diseases in time.

Natural birth with menopause does not occur often. Usually, delivery is by caesarean section. An operation can be prescribed if the expectant mother suffers from chronic pathologies, or if the condition of the fetus is unsatisfactory. 3-4 weeks before the expected date of birth, the pregnant woman is sent for antenatal hospitalization.

Artificial menopause

A condition called “artificial menopause” is an urgent blockage of ovarian function, which is deliberately caused by medical intervention. Why do this? Suspension of the production of female sex hormones is needed if it is necessary to cure some diseases: endometriosis, uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, oncology. In addition, a temporary stop in the production of estrogen may be necessary in the treatment of infertility. Let's try to figure out whether pregnancy can occur after an artificially created menopause.

Types of artificial menopause
There are several types of this condition:

1. Surgical menopause. To achieve it, the ovaries are completely removed. The operation is irreversible and is performed with a cancer of the ovaries, uterus or breast.
2. Radiological menopause. The condition is caused by affecting the ovaries with x-rays. Subsequently, as a rule, a full or partial restoration of their function is possible.
3. Medical menopause. It comes due to the fact that special drugs are introduced, which are analogues of natural hormones. This method is the most gentle, since after the treatment is completed, the ovarian function in most cases is fully restored.

Possible consequences
The clinical manifestations of artificial menopause include the following:

• decreased appetite;
• insomnia;
• general malaise;
• increased emotionality;
• decreased sexual desire;
• vaginal dryness;
• pain during intercourse;
• loss of elasticity of the skin;
• deterioration of the condition of hair and nail plates;
• joint pain
• pain in the bones;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system.

How long after an artificial menopause can a baby be conceived?
The recovery of the menstrual cycle usually occurs one to two months after the last injection was given. Pregnancy can occur already in the first six months after drug withdrawal. Basically, it proceeds no harder than a normal pregnancy.

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