Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Pregnancy Risk

Question:
I am 50 years old and have been perimenopausal for about 4 years now. Lately I've had increased symptoms - night sweats, the periods from hell . . all over the calendar(have only skipped once), vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, etc. Have had ultrasounds with normal results. Doc says I am in menopause now and has taken me off the pill and started me on HRT (Activella). Says the Activella will stop my periods and relieve other symptoms. (Will be married in a couple of months so if it solves the sex problems I'll be a happy camper!) My question . . . he insists I am no longer ovulating and cannot get pregnant. Says I've still been getting my periods because of the bc pills. I asked how sure? He said 99.9%. I've heard of women my age getting pregnant, but can I still get pregnant if I am taking the HRT? As I said, I've only skipped one period in my life, although I've never been pregnant. Any recommendations for birth control other than pills or condom? Is there a test that can tell if I'm still ovulating?

Answer:
I can't answer most of your questions, but... I'd rather be safe than sorry, re: ovulation, & stick w/ some form of BC. Via ultrasound, I found out that I've ovulated at least once in *post* meno - 2½ years after my last period, & I'm guessing (through symptoms) it's been even more times than that. (I'm not on any form of HRT, so I know when my last period was.) Whether or not that/those egg(s) was/were actually any *good* is another matter.... ?? Maybe I'm being dense, but I don't know how your doctor can be so certain your cycles are all anovulatory (is that the right word? - looks odd...) at this point. The standard advice for menopausal women who do not want to get pregnant is to continue using birth control for two full years after their final periods. Enough late-life babies have been born to extremely surprised menobabes to make this seem like very good advice to me. I don't know what makes your doctor think you've stopped ovulating; if it's blood tests for hormone levels, be extremely wary. If you're still having periods, you are most decidedly *not* in menopause. In fact, by most definitions, you won't know for certain that you're menopausal until a year after your final period. And at 50, you could still have several *years* of periods - with or without occasional ovulation - ahead of you. Bottom line: 99 percent may be good enough for your doctor, but he's not the one who gets to deal with a surprise mid-life pregnancy if it occurs. Use birth control. If you can afford it, you might consider a tubal ligation, which, with modern techniques, is a relatively simple outpatient procedure.