Menopause marks a new chapter in a woman’s life. This usually happens between the age of 47 and 53. Menopause appears when a woman’s menstrual cycle stops for twelve consecutive months and the level of estrogen and progesterone hormones extremely drops after this period. A significant decrease of these hormones means there is decreased production of eggs for fertilization, and thus making it impossible for you to become pregnant.
In order to become pregnant, sperm must fertilize with an egg. Since eggs are not present during menopause, there is no question of getting pregnancy after menopause. This is what most women will assume. Unfortunately, this is not the truth. The process of menopause takes from five to ten years to complete. At any time during this five year period when hormones are unpredictable, it is possible for a woman to become pregnant during menopause.
For some women, it is possible to become pregnant in her 40’s and also in the ’50s. But a woman over 40 has twice the risk of miscarriage than a woman in her 20s and early 30s. However, women cannot conceive by natural methods if they are into the menopause period. During this time they cannot generate hormones which are essential for pregnancy to happen. Without some medical procedure, it is not possible to get pregnancy after menopause. But there are a lot of risks involved for the mother as well as the child.
Medically induced pregnancy after menopause:
Women who have experienced an early menopause and who had difficulty getting pregnant, can have a chance of getting pregnancy with hormone therapy and egg donation procedure after menopause. Since it is very rare to get pregnancy after menopause without donor eggs and other assisted reproductive techniques. An egg donation process is a two-stage process that first prepares the women to receive an egg donated by either a selected donor or an unknown donor. Donor eggs are fertilized with your partner’s sperm in a laboratory. After that, the fertilized eggs will be inserted into your uterus. Chances of conceiving a baby using these methods are pretty good and ranging between 45% and 50%.
The process has its own limitations and risks:
- Eggs from the donors must be stored and treated with certain techniques before implantation.
- Unstable eggs are more prone to genetic abnormalities.
- Women who become pregnant during menopause are at a greater risk of miscarriage, infection, embolisms, hypertension, hemorrhaging, strokes and gastrointestinal problems.
- With this process, there is a real risk of multiples like twins, triplets and also octuplets.
- Even you get the pregnancy after menopause; there is an increased rate of complications and birth defects, such as Down syndrome, underweight babies, breech birth, etc.
There are some lifestyle modifications that can help you maintain a healthy pregnancy during menopause, such as:
- Getting enough and good quality sleep
- Consuming nutrient-rich diet
- Exercising regularly
- Taking vitamin supplements to support healthy body
