Female fertility is a relatively short period in a woman’s life. It begins when she starts menstruating and ends when she enters climacteric, that is, menopause.
All this is possible due to the hormonal function of the body, which works to create peaks of certain hormones and, these make the fertile period happen. In menopause, these hormones stop having these regular peaks every month. But is it still possible for a woman to get pregnant during menopause?
What Is the Fertile Period in a Woman’s Life?
When a girl’s body is able to receive a pregnancy, it is signaled by the menarche, the first menstruation. At that point, the first ovulation occurs and, consequently, the first menstruation if fertilization doesn’t happen that cycle. In fact, that’s how all menstrual cycles occur for a woman. If fertilization doesn’t happen, menstruation occurs.
It all begins when FSH is released by the pituitary gland1, which stimulates the eggs already present in the ovaries to mature and finally be released for pregnancy to occur. In the ovaries, the present hormones, progesterone, LH, and estrogens, play their role and make the follicle mature, the endometrium (the blood lining inside the uterus) thicken, and finally the woman ovulates.
What Is a Woman’s Transition into Menopause Like?
During menopause, a woman stops having these hormonal cycles, FSH is no longer released as before, and the ovaries gradually go dormant2. Consequently, other hormones stop being stimulated, especially estrogen. That’s why women feel very dry and have several uncomfortable symptoms during the climacteric and menopause.
The ovaries stop being stimulated, and therefore, stop being functional. Menopause is marked when a woman stops menstruating for a consecutive period of 12 to 24 months and when she’s around 40 to 55 years old.
But Is It Possible to Get Pregnant During Menopause?
Once menopause is fully established in a woman’s life, it is NOT possible for her to conceive naturally. This is because she no longer ovulates and all hormones related to fertility drop dramatically.
The ovaries no longer release eggs, she doesn’t have the internal blood lining necessary for a baby to implant, and sometimes the uterus can even shrink a lot, requiring hormone replacement.
However, in some cases, fertility treatments may enable pregnancy with hormonal preparation and eggs donated by other women. This is only possible if the woman seeks a fertility specialist and, after a battery of tests, her physical condition is checked so the doctor can confirm the possibility of pregnancy.
What About When a Woman Hasn’t Fully Entered Menopause?
It is possible that when menopause has not yet fully set in, a woman in the climacteric process (the start of menopause, the transition phase) may get pregnant. This is possible because the hormones have not completely stopped working in the body. A woman in climacteric is starting to see her fertility hormones decline, but it’s possible that she gets hormone surges and ovulates.
Important: Women who are in established menopause cannot get pregnant, but in the early phase of menopause, during climacteric, it is possible to conceive.
Pregnancy during the climacteric stage is possible but should be surrounded with care. This is because the body may not provide the necessary hormone levels during pregnancy.
The process also becomes complicated because, in the vast majority of cases, women who get pregnant during climacteric are already over 40 — an age when all pregnancies are considered high risk due to the advanced maternal age in the eyes of medicine. Monitoring should be rigorous with an obstetrician specializing in high-risk prenatal care.
Premature Menopause
Younger women may experience this ovarian failure3. It’s important to remember that all women should pay attention to absence of menstruation for long periods. Climacteric can begin at any stage of reproductive life, as soon as a woman stops producing the hormones necessary for ovulation every cycle or in most of them.
Therefore, if you stop menstruating for 3 months, it is advisable to see a doctor to have hormonal tests and rule out early ovarian failure. If treated in time, it is possible to conceive naturally.
See also: Premature Menopause – How to Find Out?
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