Education and Awareness - Perimenopause

<html><head></head><body><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><p>As women age, they often anticipate menopause. After 40 years of monthly cycles, there is little reason not to want menopause to start and get it over with ASAP. Going through menopause can take several years, but once the change has happened and all eggs are released and passed – life does change.</p>
<h2>What happens post-menopause?</h2>
<p>After the body has passed all eggs, the ovaries cease to function. <a href="https://babymed.com/womens-health/estrogen" target="_self">Estrogen</a> and other reproductive hormone levels fall to near non-existent levels. While periods stop, so does libido, vaginal moisture, and ability to control fat stores, in some cases. Natural menopause progression and hormone changes are subtle, which often means symptoms may appear gradually.</p>
<p>If surgical menopause pushes women immediately into post-menopause, symptoms may appear quickly and hit her like a brick wall. Gynecologists will often start hormone replacement therapy in the recovery room to prevent symptoms during recovery.</p>
<h2>Sex post menopause</h2>
<p>Just because a woman can no longer have children does not mean sexually transmitted diseases cannot be passed from one sexual partner to another. Having sex post-menopause is just as unsafe as having sex without protection before menopause. The same <a href="https://babymed.com/std-recommended-screening" target="_self">STDs</a> are out there.</p>
<h2>Pelvic exams post menopause</h2>
<p>Women who pass into menopause naturally need to continue yearly pelvic exams and&nbsp;<a href="https://babymed.com/node/4605" target="_self">Pap smears</a> until the age of 65 to 70. Some experts believe women over the age of 65 with no history of abnormal Pap smears can move to pelvic check-ups every three to five years.</p>
<p>Surgical menopause is a bit different. If a total hysterectomy was performed, there are no female organs left to check during the yearly Pap smear. Pap smears are used to check cervical health and screen for cervical cancer. Women who have undergone a complete or total hysterectomy have no cervix in most cases. Pap smears only need to be performed when women have received a hysterectomy because of cervical illness or disease.</p>
<h2>Bone density, HRT and more</h2>
<p>As soon as hormone levels drop, <a href="https://babymed.com/menopause/menopause-exercises" target="_self">bone density will suffer</a>. Most often, women who are Caucasian and thin have trouble with bone density more often than women who are larger or of a different heritage. Bone density scans can be used early in post menopause to set a baseline for future scans. Increasing calcium and vitamin D intake is crucial during post-menopause.</p>
<p>HRT or hormone replacement therapy comes with risks, but also rewards. HRT can reduce menopause symptoms and slow bone loss.</p>
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As women age, they often anticipate menopause. After 40 years of monthly cycles, there is little reason not to want menopause to start and get it over with ASAP!

Post-Menopause – After the Change of Life

<html><head></head><body><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><h2>What can FSH levels can tell you about menopause?</h2>
<p>FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, values climb as a woman reaches menopause. The same levels can also climb because of a normal menstrual cycle. Home testing for menopause requires taking a urine test similar to a home pregnancy test, but instead of measuring HCG, it measures FSH levels.</p>
<p>According to sales literature, FSH testing is a viable option for women who believe they are entering menopause. Experts disagree. Fluctuation FSH levels can render a positive test result for menopause in women who are nowhere near menopause age. FSH levels rise in the blood during menstruation and right before a menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycles continue in the body even if uterine lining is not shed. This means a woman can have a full menstrual cycle without bleeding for the month. This would lead her to believe she is going through <a href="https://babymed.com/am-i-in-menopause-diagnosis" target="_self">menopause</a> and the urine FSH test would confirm that.</p>
<h2>Menopause home testing</h2>
<p>Home testing for menopause can also include keeping a journal of various changes in life – this is why menopause is called the <a href="https://babymed.com/surgical-menopause-understanding-instant-change-life" target="_self">Change of Life</a>. Common changes include cessation of menstrual cycles, decreased vaginal moisture, and mood swings. Many women also complain of depression, anxiety, and weight gain during menopause.</p>
<p>There is only one definite means of diagnosing menopause and it is used by medical professionals all over the world. When a woman ceases to have menstruation or a monthly period, for at least 12 months in a row, she is considered in menopause. For various reasons, including extreme weight loss, extreme exercise, and eating disorders, even this determining factor can lead to a false diagnosis.</p>
<h2><strong>Do you experience any of these menopause symptoms?<br></strong></h2>
<p>If you feel you may be entering menopause you can test at home by filling out a simple check sheet. Here are the common signs of menopause:</p>
<ol>
<li>I am within the normal age range of 45 to 55 for women entering menopause.</li>
<li>I have not had a menstrual cycle or period in 12 months or more.</li>
<li>I am suffering from hot flashes.</li>
<li>I feel less aroused and rarely want to have sex.</li>
<li>I suffer from vaginal dryness.</li>
<li>My <a href="https://babymed.com/menopause/menopause-and-your-mood" target="_self">mood swings</a> are more pronounced than ever before.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you checked the first and second option on the list, you could be well on your way to menopause. The remaining four items on the checklist are common symptoms, but ones that may not be reported by all women entering menopause. Some women feel more sexually active and others never suffer from <a href="https://babymed.com/menopause/12-ways-relieve-hot-flashes-during-menopause" target="_self">hot flashes</a>.</p>
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FSH, or follicle-stimulating hormone, values climb as you reach menopause. 

Home Testing for Menopause

<html><head></head><body><div data-rte-type="old"><p>Most women expect that menopause will hit in their late early to late 50s. While this is a common rule of thumb, every rule is made to be broken. Early menopause can hit in the 20s, 30s, or early 40s and take a woman by surprise. Menopause symptoms are associated with egg stores in the body. When egg supplies near an end, no matter the age of the woman, menopause symptoms will start.</p>
<p></p>
<h2><strong>Symptoms of early menopause</strong></h2>
<p>The symptoms of early menopause are identical to those of natural menopause. Women will often start missing periods here and there. Some may expect, if the situation is right, that they are pregnant. Pregnancy tests will come back negative and a menstrual cycle may come naturally or via contraception controlled cycles.</p>
<p><a href="https://babymed.com/menopause/menopause-and-your-mood" target="_self">Mood swings</a>, vaginal dryness, and loss of libido are also common symptoms, but age often supersedes even the vaguest idea of menopause. When menstrual cycles stop, women typically wait a few cycles and then seek help from a gynecologist who will diagnose early menopause. Diagnosis typically includes a detailed history and blood tests to measure estradiol, or estrogen, levels in the blood. Levels below 36 could mean early menopause.</p>
<h2><strong>Is there a way to stop early menopause?</strong></h2>
<p>There is no known way of stopping early menopause. Women are often deep into symptoms by the time they seek medical attention, but even with early detection doctors are not capable of stopping menopause. Women who are heading into premature or early menopause may choose to <a href="https://babymed.com/ivf/what-is-ivf-in-vitro-fertilization" target="_self">have eggs harvested and frozen</a> if they want to have children in the future.</p>
<h2><strong>Risks associated with early menopause</strong></h2>
<p>Estrogen protects the body against bone loss&nbsp;so <a href="https://babymed.com/menopause/menopause-and-bone-mass" target="_self">early menopause can lead to osteoporosis</a>.&nbsp;Osteoporosis causes bones to become fragile, weak, and prone to breakage.&nbsp;Estrogen also protects against certain forms of cancer. Women who suffer from early menopause are without the protection of estrogen for a longer time and thus these risks are heightened. Hormone replacement therapy and estrogen replacement therapy are often a viable option to reduce risks associated with early menopause but these treatments come with risks of their own.</p>
<p>Early menopause can be associated with a diminished egg supply, chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and certain disease processes. Some experts believe early menopause is a protective reaction to illness, disease, and treatment as pregnancy occurring during these times could prove fatal to mother and/or baby.</p>
<p>If a woman feels she may be facing early menopause, a simple estrogen test can rule out the theory or prove it correct. Early detection can mean all the difference for a woman who wants to be a mother in her menopausal future.</p>
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Early menopause can hit in the 20s, 30s, or early 40s.

Do I Have Ealy Menopause?

<div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><p>This is a question many women find they ask themselves after the age of 40. As egg supplies reach their end, menopause symptoms often begin. Menopause is a gradual process starting years before the cessation of menstrual periods. Once in menopause, there is no effective enough treatment to return fertility. For women who feel they may be headed toward menopause, or already there, here are five questions to answer:</p><h2><strong>Where does my age fall in the menopause timeline?</strong></h2><p>Age is a big part of menopause, but not the only contributing factor. Women in their late 40s and early 50s make up the majority of women in menopause. There are known cases of women entering early menopause before the age of 40 and late menopause after the age of 60</p><h2><strong>Are there changes in my menstrual cycle?</strong></h2><p>Changes in the <a target="_self">menstrual cycle </a>are common symptom of menopause such as lighter periods and longer (less frequent) menstrual cycles. If periods are getting lighter and less frequent, this could be a sign you are heading into menopause. There are recent studies showing that these changes in menstrual cycle lengths as women approach menopause may also indicate increased risks for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/how-is-your-cardiovascular-health">cardiovascular disease (CVD)</a> a major cause of ddeaths in women at that age group.</p><h2><strong>Are mood swings more prominent?</strong></h2><p>Lowered estrogen levels can cause very real emotional changes. Feeling depressed, crabby, or snippy are all common. Libido can also be affected by lowering estrogen levels as can vaginal moisture.</p><h2><strong>When did mom go through menopause?</strong></h2><p>Though genetic predisposition is not common in all menopause cases, there is a good chance that women in the same family will suffer <a target="_self">menopause symptoms</a> at the same time. Understanding when your mom started having menopause symptoms and when she finally passed into full-blown menopause can help you plan your menstrual future.</p><h2><strong>Are there other life changes that could be the cause of menopause symptoms?</strong></h2><p><a target="_self">Changes in the menstrual cycle </a>can be attributed to other conditions like increased stress and illness, so menstrual cycle changes are not a standalone symptom to define menopause.&nbsp; Weight gain, weight loss, changes in physical activity, and changes in sexual activity can all affect menstrual cycles and emotional well-being. Just because it feels like you are heading into menopause does not mean the symptoms are not caused by some other condition.</p><h2><strong>Could I be pregnant?</strong></h2><p><a target="_self">Women nearing the end of their reproductive years can still get pregnant</a>. Some women may feel they are headed into menopause and stop using contraception because they feel pregnancy is not a concern. Women have been known to become pregnant into their 60s, and pregnancy has many of the same symptoms as menopause.</p><p>Menopause is a very real fact of life that causes strong emotional and physical changes. A gynecologist can help determine whether the changes you are seeing are, in fact, associated with menopause.</p></div></div>

As egg supplies reach their end, menopause symptoms often begin.

Am I in Menopause?

<div data-rte-type="old"><p>As women age, their hormone levels fall and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/prime-womens-health">menopause</a> begins, ultimately resulting in their ovaries no longer producing eggs. However, while many women believe that menopause happens overnight, the process&nbsp;can actually take years to complete, and until then, a woman can still <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/what-are-your-chances-getting-pregnant-quiz/take">get pregnant</a>!</p><h2><strong>The menopause baby</strong></h2><p>When a woman goes through menopause, her body phases out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/fertility-101-lesson-02-menstrual-cycle-and-period">menstrual cycles</a> until they stop altogether. The woman may go for months or even a year between having one period and the next. This long time frame is what may lead to a menopause baby.</p><p>During the time when the female body is not having a menstrual cycle, the body may still be releasing those last few eggs. If the egg is released and there is a viable sperm waiting to fertilize the egg, you can, and will, get pregnant.</p><p>Thanks to the lack of a normal menstrual cycle, you may not notice you are pregnant until you are months into the pregnancy. There have even been cases where mothers of a certain age have gone to the hospital with stomach and back pains only to leave the hospital a few days later with a baby in their arms.</p><h2><strong>Detecting the menopause baby</strong></h2><p>As you go through the cycle of menopause, it's important to keep up to date with regular gynecological checkups. These checkups will help you treat any symptoms as well as allow for the doctor to possibly detect a pregnancy before it is too late to begin prenatal care.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It's also important to keep track of all your menstrual cycles well into menopause and take note of any changes occurring in the body. There are clear signs when pregnancy begins that will not be synonymous with menopause. These symptoms may include the total cessation of periods, an unexplained increased in weight, and swelling of the extremities.</p><h2><strong>Preventing the menopausal pregnancy</strong></h2><p>Many women over the age of 40, feel they are not in need of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/contraception-birth-control-guide">contraception</a> during sex due to perimenopause, or pre-menopausal symptoms. In fact, many women continue to ovulate well through their 40’s. Contraception is the only way to ensure you are not going to get pregnant when sexually active. The contraception option most chosen by women of menopausal age is tubal ligation.</p><p>During a tubal ligation, the fallopian tubes are cut, burned or clamped off to prevent further pregnancies. While the procedure must be completed by an obstetrician under general anesthesia, the recovery time is very short.</p><p>The menopausal baby is something that is a reality. When the number of periods decline, this does not mean the female body is not ovulating. Ovulation can occur without a period and pregnancy can occur well into the 40’s and 50’s. Women who believe they are experiencing menopause will need to be free of a menstrual cycle for at least one year before they are officially post-menopausal. And, even then, the chance of pregnancy, though rare, is still there.</p></div>

Until menopause is officially complete, you can still get pregnant!

Getting Pregnant During Menopause

<div data-rte-type="old"><p><span style="font-size:0.9em;">Menopause is the time in which you are no longer able to bear children because of the change in hormones throughout the body. So what does it mean when a woman </span><a style="font-size:0.9em;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/getting-pregnancy-during-menopause">gets pregnant after menopause</a><span style="font-size:0.9em;">?&nbsp;</span><br>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What happens during menopause?</strong><br>&nbsp;</h2><p>Menopause drastically changes your body. When menopause occurs, you no longer get a monthly menstrual period. This is because the hormones that trigger <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/ovulation-symptoms-and-signs">ovulation</a> and pregnancy are not as strong as they used to be. Estrogen and progesterone drop, and this causes the body to no longer have the ability to get pregnant. But since the process of menopause takes anywhere from five to ten years to complete, this is an awkward time in life, and you still have a (slight) chance of getting pregnant.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>During menopause, the hormone levels drop, but there are times when they also spike during the course of the change. It is at this time that the ability to conceive may still be possible.</p><h2><strong>Preventing pregnancy after menopause</strong></h2><p>In order to prevent pregnancy during or&nbsp;after&nbsp;menopause, you must continue using an effective form of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/contraception-birth-control-guide">birth control</a>. Since birth control pills are not recommended past the age of forty, your doctor will likely suggest using a diaphragm, IUD, or a permanent option such as a tubal ligation.</p><p>If you decide that you want to have a baby and you have already been through menopause, there are options to consider. A donor egg program will allow you to carry the baby throughout pregnancy with the aid of a younger female’s eggs. But there is also a much higher risk of fetal problems at an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://babymed.com/pregnancy/advanced-maternal-age-and-pregnancy">advanced age</a>. The risks for an older woman carrying a baby include developing an infection, embolisms, hemorrhaging, strokes. and seizures. Risks to the baby are also possible.</p></div>

Pregnancy After Menopause: Is It Possible?

<html><head></head><body><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><div data-rte-type="old"><p>On average, women have between 11 and 13 menstrual cycles, or periods, each year. For some women, 11 is far too many and others would love to have only 13 periods. Every woman is different, which means gauging irregular periods on a person-to-person basis. Missed periods, however, are scary across the board. When a woman misses her period, there is a likely reason in most cases.</p>
<p><strong>Medical Reasons to Miss a Period</strong><br>Pregnancy is the first medical condition that comes to mind when a woman misses her period. Pregnancy causes the cervix to seal shut for the entire length of the pregnancy. During this time, she will not suffer from periods. However, pregnancy is not the only medical condition that can cause missed periods. The following is a list of other possible causes of a missed period:</p>
<ul>
<li>Anovulation (no ovulation). Women who do not ovulate do not usually get a regular menstrual period, or they have just spotting.</li>
<li>Menopause. During menopause women stop getting their period because they have stopped ovulating.</li>
<li>Imperforate hymen</li>
<li>Asherman’s syndrome</li>
<li><a title="pcos" href="https://babymed.com/pcos-polycystic-ovarian-ovary-syndrome">Polycystic ovary syndrome</a></li>
<li>Perimenopause (early menopause)</li>
<li>Prescription medication can also cause missed periods, as can personal choices and stress.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Lifestyle Choices and Missed Periods</strong><br>Travel, illegal drug use, and weight gain or loss can be the root cause of missed periods. While weight gain and loss may be associated with other illnesses or medications, it can be caused by overeating or undereating. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia, often associated with over and undereating, are two additional causes of missed periods. Excessive or increased exercise associated with sports and athletics or eating disorders may contribute to amenorrhea, or missed periods.</p>
<p><strong>Diagnosis and Treatment for Missed Periods</strong><br>When suffering from missed periods, take a home pregnancy test. If the test is negative, wait a week or more and test again. A second negative test could mean there is a bigger problem causing the cessation of your menstrual cycle and professional help should be sought. Some women have only a few periods a year and are completely healthy while others have two or more short periods a month.</p>
<p>Regular gynecological exams and discussions with your doctor can help make diagnosis a bit easier. Informed doctors can go through medical records and performed a variety of tests in office more quickly than doctors who have little information on a patient. Regular check-ups are just as important for today’s care as they are for tomorrows.</p>
<p>Treatment for missed periods can include birth control medical to regulate menstrual cycles, weight gain, weight loss, and relaxation techniques. Periods missed due to pregnancy will return after the pregnancy ends.</p>
<p>It is important to remember that menstrual cycles are not needed to become pregnant. Some women believe missing a period gives them free reign to have unprotected sex. Semen can reach and fertilize a mature egg even if the endometrial lining is not shedding.</p></div></div></div></div></body></html>

On average, women have between 11 and 13 menstrual cycles, or periods, each year. For some women, 11 is far too many and others would love to have only 13 periods.

Missed Menstrual Periods And Amenorrhea

<html><head></head><body><div data-rte-type="old"><h2>What is premature ovarian aging or insufficiency or failure (POI, POF, or POA)?</h2>
<p>Premature ovarian insufficiency, failure, or aging (POF or POA) is a loss of ovarian function in younger women, usually below the age of 35. Women with POI/POF/POA have eggs that don't fertilize easily and may even be incapable of becoming fertilized. Women with premature ovarian aging may still have regular menstrual periods along with <a href="https://babymed.com/fertility-problems/top-reasons-causes-infertility">difficulties getting pregnant</a>&nbsp;and this is seen in about 10% of younger women with fertility problems.</p>
<p></p>
<p>POI/POF/POA is associated with:</p>
<ul>
<li>Normal but shorter menstrual cycles (usually less than 26 days apart)</li>
<li><a href="https://babymed.com/menstrual-period/amenorrhea-missing-your-period-pregnancy-diagnosis">Amenorrhea</a> (no menstrual period)</li>
<li>More frequent menstrual periods (bleeding)</li>
<li>Low anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)</li>
<li>Low estrogen</li>
<li>Elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)&nbsp;</li>
<li>Low antral follicle count on sonogram</li>
</ul>
<h2>How is&nbsp;premature ovarian aging&nbsp;diagnosed?</h2>
<p class="p1">In general, the diagnosis requires at least three to four months of amenorrhea as well as two <a href="https://babymed.com/fertility-tests/follicle-stimulating-hormone-fsh-test">FSH tests</a>, taken at least one month apart, that are greater than 40 mIU/ML.</p>
<p>Another test, the <a title="amh anti mullerian hormone" href="http://www.babymed.com/fertility-tests/antimullerian-hormone-amh">AMH or anti-Mullerian hormone</a>&nbsp;can detect whether there are any more follicles left. An elevated or normal (as compared to an absent) AMH may indicate that some follicles are left.</p>
<p>A while back it was thought that POI/POF/POA, like menopause, meant a total lack of eggs. It was called "premature" to signify that it started at an earlier-than-normal age. However, menopause appears to be permanent with a loss of ovarian activity, while POI/POF is not always permanent.</p>
<p>When the ovaries of women with POF are looked at on pelvic ultrasound, approximately 40% of the women have structures that appear to be ovarian follicles. Today, we know that women with premature ovarian failure intermittently produce estrogen and ovulate. This is why the term premature ovarian failure is preferred to premature <a href="https://babymed.com/prime-womens-health">menopause</a>. Menopause means complete cessation of periods.</p>
<p>In some cases, premature ovarian failure may be reversible. POF can be temporary or periodic and there can be residual ovarian function. Even with high FSH levels women may intermittently produce estrogen and ovulate.</p>
<h2>Primary or premature ovarian aging or failure vs. premature menopause</h2>
<p><span>Primary ovarian insufficiency — also called premature ovarian failure — occurs when the ovaries stop functioning normally before age 40. and is often confused with premature menopause, but they are different. In premature ovarian failure, the ovaries don't produce normal amounts of the hormone estrogen or release eggs regularly. This condition often leads to infertility.</span><br><span>Women with primary ovarian insufficiency can have irregular or occasional periods for years and might even get pregnant, but women with premature menopause stop having periods and can't become pregnant.</span></p>
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