subject: Birth Control For Menopausal Women [print this page] If you are a woman that is going through perimenopause, which is the beginning of the symptoms related to menopause, things are going to be pretty rocky for awhile. Not only will you be having night sweats, hot flashes, irritability and maybe worse, but you really cant be sure when to stop birth control either since your periods are now so inconsistent.
Here are few signs to look for and tips that may help.
After the age of 35, fertility starts to slowly decline in women due to the reduced quality and fertility of her eggs. As the years go by and symptoms of menopause start to appear, a woman is very close to being unable to conceive, although its not impossible of course. The record for a woman conceiving naturally is 57, but this is obviously very rare. Thats probably a good thing, since by then most women are not happy about raising children all over again!
The question is can a woman at this age get pregnant by accident, even if she may be using birth control? It is always wise to stay on birth control if you are sexually active, especially if you still are having regular periods. Another thing to consider is that women that do get pregnant over the age of 40 are considered at high risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects, autism, and other complications. Do some women use birth control as a form of hormone replacement therapy? Its not unheard of, but certainly not recommended. Once option is a pill called the mini-pill which consists of progesterone only, not estrogen. This is certainly a healthier option for women over the age of 40.
Health questions you may ask about using the pill for contraception: what are the risks as I get older? For one, if you smoke and use the pill, your risks of heart disease definitely go up. In fact use of the pill while smoking isnt recommended after the age of 35. However even if you are healthy and dont smoke, a low dose contraceptive pill is highly recommended due to increased health risks. So if you are at the age of perimenopause, you may want to even consider another form of birth control, such as condoms, the IUD, or possibly the diaphragm.
by: Doug Hart
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