Can Premenopausal Women Get Pregnant? Expert Answers

Bharat79

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posted on 8 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Dr Asha Dalal, Director, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Well Woman Center, Sir H N Reliance Hospital explains if premenopausal women could think of starting a family

Perimenopause is the time in a woman’s life where there are hormonal fluctuations leading up to menopausal. This happens usually between the ages of 40 and 50. During this time though the period may be irregular ovulation may still occur. Sometimes it can be twice in a month and at other times may not occur for a few months. So pregnancy during peri menopause may be possible. Though fertility declines drastically as women approach menopause. Fertility will depend on age, general health and lifestyle factors.

There are more chances of pregnancy at the beginning of peri menopause when the chances of ovulation are more as there may be some ovarian reserve. Pregnancy is also more probable if there are no issues like PCOS, fibroids or Endometriosis. Besides this maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly avoiding smoking and alcohol go a long way in increasing your pregnancy chances.

During this time, it may be possible to track your ovulation by doing a basal body temperature daily or using an ovulation prediction kit available in the market. This may help you understand your fertile period and help in conception.

Inspire of all this the chances of pregnancy in the forties especially late forties are very less. But if you are getting periods especially regular periods and you want to get pregnant do go to see a fertility specialist for ART. You may be offered IVF or many of the options available at an ART clinic. You must understand that pregnancy in the forties is considered high risk. There are greater chances of spontaneous abortions, higher incidence of chromosomal problems in the baby and risk of hypertension and diabetes in the mother.

So, though rare pregnancy is possible during the peri menopause. It is important to understand all the issues involved in a pregnancy during the peri menopause to make informed decisions.so do visit your gynaecologist or an Infertility specialist who will give you personalised guidance and support throughout if you do decide to try for a pregnancy during the peri menopause.