Can I Get Pregnant in Perimenopause?

You are going through “The Change” and you’ve got a busy life, possibly some teenagers, a career, and you know perimenopause has hit! Maybe you have even started some hormone therapy. You may not be having regular periods at this point but you are having sex and I am here to tell you, YOU CAN STILL GET PREGNANT! Some of the higher rates of unplanned pregnancies, outside of the teenage years, are when women are going through perimenopause.

Do you remember the movie, “Father of the Bride Part 2” where Diane Keaton gets pregnant at the same time as their daughter? She thought she was in menopause but instead, it was pregnancy hormones. So, even if you are on hormone therapy, you are not preventing ovulation and implantation. Then what are your options? Do you have to be on the pill? The good news…we have a few to chose from!

Some women do chose to return to a pill but I find a lot of my midlife women hope to simplify their life at this stage. They opt for the NuvaRing, the patch, or an IUD. All of these are great options you don’t need to worry about every day. The IUD offers the bonus of protecting the uterine lining and also means you may not have to take an oral progesterone to be on the estradiol (estrogen) therapy.

The bottom line is having a plan is important, especially if you are not trying to expand your family. Talking with your healthcare professional about perimenopausal birth control options can be a great first step on your hormonal journey.