Menopause & Risk of Pregnancy

Once they start to experience hot flashes, many women mistakenly assume they can no longer get pregnant. Although your risk of pregnancy usually decreases when you experience menopause symptoms, you can still get pregnant even after your periods have stopped.

Types

• Menopause occurs in two distinct phases: perimenopause and menopause. During perimenopause, which may last two to eight years, you experience physical symptoms of decreasing fertility. Menopause occurs after you've gone 12 months without experiencing a menstrual period.

Pregnancy during Perimenopause

• During perimenopause, decreases in your body's production of estrogen may cause you to ovulate less frequently or more erratically. Less frequent ovulation decreases your risk of pregnancy; however, more erratic ovulation can increase your risk of pregnancy since you're less likely to be able to predict your fertile days during your menstrual cycle.

Symptoms

• Symptoms that indicate you're experiencing the first stage of menopause and can still get pregnant include irregular menstrual periods, hot flashes, decreased fertility, vaginal dryness and changes in your sexual desires, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Pregnancy during Menopause

• Once you have gone a year without menstruating and are officially post-menopausal, you are physically incapable of getting pregnant because your body is no longer ovulating (releasing eggs to be fertilized).

Warning

• In order to avoid an unplanned pregnancy during menopause, you should abstain from intercourse or use some form of birth control until at least one year after your periods have stopped.