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Posted on November 30, 1999 by Joy Stoyle | Posted under Pregnancy
Menopause and Pregnancy - It Can Happen
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When should women worry about menopause and pregnancy? Basically, unless there has been a hysterectomy or tubal ligation or she has been diagnosed as infertile, a woman should be vigilant about it all the time. When a woman's body is preparing for menopause, which is defined most often by the absence of menses, her periods usually become erratic. She may have a heavy period one month and then not have a period or have very light periods for the next couple of months. The key, though, is that she is still having periods, which means that there is every chance that eggs are still dropping down the fallopian tubes. All it takes for menopause and pregnancy to happen together is one egg and one sperm meeting. It is true that older eggs are more difficult to fertilize. When they drop they may not even be viable, or if one does get fertilized the pregnancy may terminate before the woman even suspects anything. There are cases, though, when there is a perfectly normal pregnancy late in life. Menopause and pregnancy can show some of the same symptoms, however, such as fluctuating hormones and missed periods, so sometimes a woman doesn't realize she is pregnant right away. In fact, a pregnancy can come as quite a shock when she finally does realize it. Menopause and pregnancy is something that a woman and her doctor need to deal with together. If the woman is in relatively good health and the pregnancy goes past the first trimester, there is no reason why she cannot go full term and have a healthy baby. Chances of birth defects do increase after a woman is 35, though, and keep increasing exponentially the older she gets. Down's Syndrome is more common in children of older mothers. This doesn't mean that it should be expected; only that it is more common. Most children born to older, healthy mothers are healthy and normal. About The Author: |
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