Menopause And Pregnancy:  Miserable Together

You think you might be pregnant.  But you’ve been having menopausal symptoms for years.  Your period even stopped six months in a row, then started up again, only to stop again.  Menopause and pregnancy – it couldn’t be possible, could it?  Yes, it can, although it’s very rare.  Go for a pregnancy test as soon as you can.

Just A Little Bit Menopausal

Although you can’t be just a little bit pregnant, you can be a little bit menopausal.  One of the main reasons menopause and pregnancy occurs is that women go through different events that differs for each women.  Although missing your period for six months while having other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia and mood swings usually means your body is through changing, it is not always the case.  Sometimes there’s that one straggler egg that just hangs back for attention.  So you really need to continue any birth control practices until you start getting Social Security, just to be on the safe side.  Either that or get your man to have a vasectomy.  But keep in mind; accidents do happen, especially in bed.

Now You Tell Me

If you discover you are pregnant, then make a thorough and careful decision, just like you would have to do if you got pregnant when you were younger.  You must take into consideration your health history, your financial situation and whether you have had children already.  If you have never had children and are over 40, the chances are huge that you will have a miscarriage.  Your body is under the tremendous strain of menopause.  Menopause AND pregnancy might really hurt your body permanently, as well as the health of the baby.  The choice is yours, depending upon where you live and what your religious attitudes to abortion are.

Can both mother and baby survive menopause and pregnancy?  Very rarely, yes.  Usually that happens only to older women in good health who regularly exercise, eat healthily and who have had children already.  It is up to you to decide whether to take the chance or not.  It’s not entirely your fault that you have both menopause and pregnancy.  You are just like the person who lives in a flood zone or in Tornado Alley.  Don’t beat yourself up over this.

Prognosis:  Grim

The only way to deal with menopause and pregnancy is to not get pregnant during menopause or pre-menopause (also called “perimenopause”).  Unless you are Ms. Olympia and have more kids than you’ve had hot dinners, menopause and pregnancy tends to end in heartbreak.  But this baby could also kill you.  I’m not trying to scare you – I’m telling you the truth so you can make the best decision for you.