Pregnancy During Menopause

When a woman goes into menopause, it is important to understand that there are different phases. First, she will go through what is called perimenopause, which is when the body stops producing adequate hormones known as estrogen and progesterone. Although her menstrual cycle will begin to fluctuate, as long as she is still producing enough of these hormones, she could experience pregnancy during menopause. Then, when the production of these hormones diminishes so much that she is no longer ovulating, pregnancy during menopause would be impossible. Once the woman has been without a monthly menstrual cycle for a full 12 months, she is considered in actual menopause.

Some of the confusing about pregnancy during menopause comes with the fact that sometimes, doctors will prescribe birth control pills in low dose to help with the many unpleasant symptoms associated with both perimenopause and menopause. Therefore, the very same medication that helps a woman from getting pregnant can also be beneficial for a woman past her birth years. Although using the birth control pill for symptoms of menopause is not something approved by the Food and Drug Administration, studies performed by medical experts have shown very good results. To give you an idea of what the benefits are, we have outlined some specific ones for you.

For instance, as mentioned about pregnancy during menopause when a woman’s menstrual cycle begins to change, this is an excellent time for treatment with birth control pills. The reason is that during this time, the levels of hormones that are beginning to decline are replaced with the hormones in the birth control pill. Therefore, the pill helps balance out the hormones, which keeps the cycle more regular. Another huge benefit is for the dreaded hot flash. Perimenopause and menopause bring about a number of very miserable symptoms, one being hot flashes, which produces an overwhelming sensation of heat around the head, neck, and fact. However, the birth control pill tends to lessen the effect although how remains a mystery.

A common problem associated with menopause is osteoporosis whereby a woman’s bone density will begin to deteriorate. When this occurs, she is more susceptible to breaking bones. However, the estrogen found in birth control pills increases the lower amount of hormones, again balancing it off to help prevent bone loss and therefore, breakage. In addition, the birth control pill has shown that it helps to reduce the cases of ovarian and uterine cancers, as well as colon cancer. As far as breast cancer, that is something not yet identified.

Birth control pills have a number of other benefits in addition to protecting a woman against pregnancy during menopause. For example, skin breakouts such as acne are quite common during the change of life due to the ups and downs of the estrogen. Again, the birth control pills replace the lost levels, which help to clear up the skin. Keep in mind that birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy are not always the best options. Therefore, every woman going through menopause needs to talk to her doctor to determine what options are best for her. In recent years, there has been quite a bit of controversy regarding this form of treatment for menopause, some very unfavorable. Be informed and educated so you can make the right choice.