A woman's ovaries contain a finite number of eggs, but as she continues to get older, both the quality and quantity of eggs decline. It is generally seen that the passing year can make it more challenging to get pregnant, and especially after the 40s, the fertility window shrinks dramatically. In such cases, they might recommend going for the donor egg instead.
What is Early Menopause?
Signs of Early Menopause
Irregular or abnormal periods may mark the beginning of early menopause. If you have irregular menstrual cycles, you may experience these typical menopause symptoms -
- Heavy bleeding during periods
- Longer periods (lasting longer than a week)
- Changes in sexual feelings or desire
- Hot flashes
- Difficulty sleeping
- Mood swings
- Weight gain
- Loss of bladder control
- Night sweats
- Joint and muscle aches and pains
- Urinary tract infections
- Breast tenderness
Causes of Early Menopause
Early or Premature menopause or primary ovarian insufficiency can be caused by a medical condition, lifestyle choices, or treatment affecting reproductive organs. Possible factors that could cause premature menopause include:
- Lifestyle Factors (smoking, lack of exercise, etc.)
- Chromosome issues (turner syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, etc.)
- Medical surgeries that affected ovaries
- The side effects of chemotherapy or radiation
- Autoimmune diseases (thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.)
- Genetic disease
- Family history of menopause at an early age
- Epilepsy (Seizure disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed)
Can a woman get pregnant after menopause?
Suppose you have heard of the cases where women got pregnant even after menopause. In that case, they may have used donor eggs along with assisted reproductive techniques like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
In your late 30s and 40s, you'll start experiencing changes in your body like irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, mood swings, etc. It is generally because of perimenopause (a stage before menopause) which means you're getting less infertile than you once were.
However, early menopause doesn't indicate you won't get pregnant as you have not officially reached the final phase of menopause, i.e., Postmenopause, until you have completed a whole year without a menstrual cycle. So there are slim chances that you can get pregnant in your late 40s.
What is IVF?
In Vitro Fertilization is among the most effective infertility treatments. It starts with triggering ovaries to stimulate eggs; the mature eggs are retrieved and fertilized partner's sperm in a lab. Then the embryo is/are placed back in the uterus resulting in pregnancy.
Despite this, it is essential to know that the IVF treatment success rate also dramatically declines above the age of 40, primarily because of the poor quality of eggs.
Menopause is not always the end of fertility. However, you're advised to either use your frozen eggs (eggs you had frozen earlier in good age) or donor eggs (who'll be young and have better quality) instead of your own egg. IVF with donor eggs has the highest success rate of any fertility treatment.
Your fertility doctor may use the quality egg of the young woman donor to make it fertilized with your partner's sperm. Despite this, your body must also be prepared to carry the baby in the belly.
Talk with a Fertility Doctor
If you begin to have symptoms of menopause before age 40, talk with the Best IVF doctor in Noida, Dr. Sweta Gupta. The fertility doctor is a renowned infertility specialist with decades of experience in this field. Talk to her if you wish to start a family & your questions regarding fertility.
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