Many women assume that any sign of menopause – hot flashes or missed periods – means their chances of getting pregnant are next to nothing, but that is not necessarily the case. This misunderstanding stems from the fact that the term “menopause” is often misunderstood.
When most women say they’re “going through menopause,” most likely they’re going through what’s called “perimenopause.” Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when a woman begins to miss her menstrual cycles and experiences menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes and trouble sleeping.
On average, perimenopause lasts between 5 and 10 years. Menopause is defined by the North American Menopause Society as “the final menstrual period and usually confirmed when a woman has missed her periods for 12 consecutive months (in the absence of other obvious causes).” Only once you have reached this point do you truly lose your ability to conceive.
Until you have officially moved from perimenopause to menopause, your fertility is not completely gone and you still have a chance of getting pregnant. Women do generally have a much harder time conceiving when they reach perimenopause because of their age and the continual decrease in the number of eggs in their ovaries, but it is definitely possible.
If you are in the midst of perimenopause and are trying to get pregnant, all hope is not lost. Dr. Judith Fiore explains: “Perimenopause is really a fluctuation between fertility and infertility. For women who are trying to conceive, it is important to be ready for those fertile months.”
If you have questions or concerns about perimenopause and pregnancy or menopause, schedule an appointment with one of our experienced and compassionate Gainesville fertility doctors today.
