You might have heard a lot of stories about women giving birth to children even after hitting menopause.
Even though this once might have been rare, today’s medical advancements have made it possible for women to carry children long after their menstrual cycles get over for good. This is done by a procedure called IVF; like anything else, IVF has its pros and cons.
IVF is supposed to increase the chances of pregnancy in menopausal women by up to 52%! So, if you’re curious about IVF and pregnancy after menopause, then keep reading…
1. What is menopause?
Menopause is the natural phase in a woman’s life when she stops menstruating, that is, having her periods. Medically, it is characterized by an absence of periods for a year.
Although most women experience this between the ages of 45-55, there can be changes. Perimenopause is the phase that comes before menopause, where a woman will notice lighter bleeding or irregular cycles.
This happens when she is 35-40 years old and can last for up to 5 years. It is possible to get pregnant during perimenopause, though the chances are significantly reduced.
2. What is postmenopause?
As the name suggests, postmenopause is the phase where a woman has permanently stopped having her periods. While this age varies greatly among women, most of them reach this stage when they are about 51 years old.
If you think you’re approaching postmenopause, you can look out for these common symptoms- abnormal bleeding from the vagina, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and changes in your mood.
However, hormonal or supplemental therapy can easily treat any physiological health complications at this stage.
3. Pregnancy during menopause
While it’s not possible to have a baby through conventional means after you have reached postmenopause or menopause, there are artificial ways to overcome this problem- IVF.
IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, is a type of assisted reproductive technique where the male sperm is combined with the female ovum (or egg) under laboratory conditions.
In the postmenopausal stage, a woman is unable to release eggs from her ovary, even with assistance. So she needs to use donor eggs from another woman. This egg can then be fused with the sperm of the woman’s husband or another man’s.
4. How does IVF work?
As mentioned, in IVF, mature eggs are collected from a suitable woman's ovaries and fertilized using sperm from a male donor. Once fertilization is successful, this zygote (fertilized egg) matures into an embryo.
This embryo is then introduced back into the woman’s uterus, who wishes to get pregnant. After that, she can carry her child in her womb like any mother until the baby is ready to be conceived.
Usually, one term of an IVF procedure takes about 3 weeks, but if the entire process is done in different steps, it may take longer.
5. Why choose IVF?
IVF is the most common and preferred assisted reproductive technique (ART) method when it comes to impregnating a woman who has had menopause.
Moreover, IVF can also be done using the parent couple’s own sperm and egg (provided that the woman can donate her eggs). If this is unavailable, an anonymous donor can also be used.
Of course, IVF will depend on many factors, such as age, health issues (if any), lifestyle, etc. Your doctor can guide you through the whole process and tell you about any significant challenges.
6. Where to go for an IVF procedure?
If you wish to go for an IVF procedure anywhere in Australia, Monash IVF should be your first and only option.
Not only are the doctors and nurses extremely qualified, but there are various centers all over Australia- starting right from New South Wales to Tasmania and Queensland.
Monash IVF helped deliver the first IVF baby in Australia in 1980! For any kind of queries or doubts regarding sperm donation, the IVF process, or post-pregnancy health issues, Monash IVF is more than ready to help you out!
Over to you…
Your chances of having a baby, even after menopause, are never zero! Especially with an expert, you can always say yes to pregnancy and welcome home a new member. So why not explore some trusted names nearby and book a consultation today?
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