Contents:
- Medical Video: Pregnancy, menopause and heart health: Mayo Clinic Radio
- Can menopause get pregnant again, is it possible?
- Why are there women who can get pregnant even after menopause?
Medical Video: Pregnancy, menopause and heart health: Mayo Clinic Radio
Every woman will experience menopause once she enters old age. Menopause marks the end of reproductive age. However, you may have read or heard the news of an elderly woman who managed to get pregnant despite menopause. How much chance does a woman after menopause get pregnant again?
Can menopause get pregnant again, is it possible?
In order for you to get pregnant, you need an adequate supply of eggs. The woman's body will naturally produce healthy and new eggs with the help of various hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This process occurs every month, which is called ovulation. When the egg is fertilized by a male sperm, pregnancy occurs. If not, you will experience menstruation.
But along with aging, the supply of female eggs will run out. When the ovary is no longer able to release the egg every month, you can no longer menstruate. This is what is said to be menopause.
Levels of estrogen and progesterone will begin to slowly decrease within 1-2 years before you officially menopause. This period is called perimenopause, which makes your menstrual cycle irregular and longer. You will also begin to experience a decrease in fertility because ovulation is difficult to occur unless your hormone levels are in the optimal range.
Most women will experience menopause at the age of 50 years or more. At this time, your LH and FSH levels remain high but your estrogen and progesterone levels remain low. The imbalance of this hormone makes the ovary really not release the egg. As a result, your menstruation will stop completely and you cannot get pregnant again.
One year after your menopause, your hormone levels will never be in the appropriate range to start ovulation and pregnancy. So, you can no longer get pregnant after menopause.
Why are there women who can get pregnant even after menopause?
Some menopausal women can get pregnant most likely because they are still in the perimenopause stage.
During perimenopause, your menstruation will become irregular. It can even stop completely for a long time but then only reappear for a while. This can happen many times, making you think that you have experienced menopause. Even though, anyway, not yet.
Perimenopause occurs 1-2 years before menopause, when the estrogen hormone production by the ovaries has begun to decrease. Because the female hormone estrogen production decreases, your fertility will decrease and the chance to get pregnant also decreases. However, at this time you are still likely to get pregnant. Perimenopause can last for several years until menopause arrives.
