Since pregnancy interrupts ovulation, ovarian follicles are assumed to be preserved during pregnancy. Thus, it has been proposed that menopause is delayed by the number of pregnancies (Cramer et al., 1995; Cramer and Xu, 1996).
But lifestyle factors, such as diet, socioeconomic status, education, and exercise choices can also influence the timing of the onset of menopause. Prolonged breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and, believe it or not, higher levels of education are all associated with a later onset of menopause.
It's important to be aware of complications that can arise during any pregnancy, but particularly during perimenopause. Older women tend to have more chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can raise their risk of pregnancy complications.
Expect to feel like you're pregnant (even if you're not). Perimenopause and pregnancy share several of the same symptoms including lack of periods, vaginal bleeding or spotting, weight gain, breast tenderness, headache and nausea.
When compared with women who had no full-term pregnancies, women who gave birth had a reduced risk of early menopause. Women with three pregnancies had a 22 percent lower risk, those with two pregnancies had a 16 percent lower risk, and women with one birth had an 8 percent lower risk.
Age at menopause increased with increasing number of childbirths up to three childbirths; however, we found no further increase in age at menopause beyond three childbirths. Pregnancies interrupt ovulation, and a high number of pregnancies have therefore been assumed to delay menopause.
Studies have shown many factors to affect the age of menopause, such as the mother's age at menopause, the age at menarche, gestational age, use of oral contraceptives, irregular menstrual cycle, number of pregnancies, body mass index, use of tobacco and alcohol, physical activity, unilateral oophorectomy, serum lead ...
While it may seem impossible, women who are going through menopause or have already gone through this hormonal change can have detectable levels of hCG in their urine and blood. Even though women at this stage can't get pregnant, they can get a false-positive pregnancy test result.
Can you have a normal, healthy pregnancy at 45? Yes. Assuming you have top-notch prenatal care during your pregnancy, you eat well and have a healthy lifestyle, you take care of yourself during your nine months, and you come into your pregnancy as healthy as can be, your pregnancy can be problem-free.
How to Tell If You're Pregnant or Perimenopausal. Many pregnant women have no symptoms other than a missed period, which could be confused with perimenopause. If you're in perimenopause and are having irregular periods, pregnancy should be considered, Dr. Bembry explains, especially if you're not using contraception.
Early Stage. Perimenopause can begin in some women in their 30s, but most often it starts in women ages 40 to 44. It is marked by changes in menstrual flow and in the length of the cycle. There may be sudden surges in estrogen.
During perimenopause your ovaries are winding down. This means that some months you will ovulate, sometimes twice in a cycle, while in other months, no egg will be released. "The pattern of hormonal fluctuations can become quite erratic and feel chaotic," says Jean Hailes endocrinologist, Dr Sonia Davison.
Pregnancy after age 45 years is infrequent and the mother and baby should be considered as a high risk. There is a greater incidence of spontaneous abortion, gestational trophoblastic disease and chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
Perimenopause may begin as early as your mid-30s or as late as your mid-50s. Some people are in perimenopause for only a short time. But for many, it lasts four to eight years. The term perimenopause simply describes the time when your cycles are no longer predictable.
As you go through perimenopause, your body's production of estrogen and progesterone, key female hormones, rises and falls. Many of the changes you experience during perimenopause are a result of decreasing estrogen.
The oldest menstruating women were 57 yr old.
For most people, estrogen levels begin to fall gradually when they are in their 40s. A person will continue to ovulate and menstruate, but periods may become irregular or less frequent.
Pregnancy in Your 40s
If you get pregnant after 35 years old, experts call this an “advanced maternal age” pregnancy. But it's still possible to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby in your 40s. Childbirth at older ages has become more common too. Since the 1990s, birth rates in people aged 40-44 have gone up.
Those women who have late menopause and they have babies early and often have babies without difficulty, well into their early to mid 40s, but it's rare for any population you study that women have successful pregnancies after 45 with any kind of frequency.
ELEVATED hCG IN PERIMENOPAUSAL AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN
As women get older, hCG levels, like those of FSH and LH, rise due to loss of negative feedback inhibition from estrogen and progesterone. Levels of hCG and FSH reach a peak between the ages of 45 and 55 and remain at a plateau thereafter.
In perimenopausal women, a non-pregnant state is likely with hCG levels 5–14 IU/L when FSH >20 IU/L. With the availability of serum tests with such sensitivity, more women may be referred for further evaluation of malignancy or, as in our case, pregnancy.
Women with a family history of early or premature menopause are more likely to have early or premature menopause. Smoking. Women who smoke may reach menopause as much as two years before nonsmokers. They may also get more severe menopause symptoms.
Premature menopause and early menopause, whether spontaneous or induced, are associated with long-term health risks which may include premature death, cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, osteoporosis, psychosexual dysfunction, and mood disorders.
Menopausal symptoms are tremendously varied, so no two individuals have the identical experience. The emotional impact of menopause can be hard to predict. Whether or not you've had children, the loss of fertility that accompanies menopause can be greatly distressing, or for many, it can be a great relief.