According to British media reports, a British woman who had stopped menstruating at the age of 20 and was thought to be unable to conceive was suddenly told by her doctor that she was pregnant at the age of 35, and gave birth to a daughter 12 days later.
It sounds unbelievable, and despite the accompanying photographic evidence, this news has been met with skepticism from many. So, is it really possible for a woman to get pregnant again after menopause?
Amenorrhea can be broadly classified into three types: menopausal menopause, ovarian amenorrhea, and puberty amenorrhea.
It is still possible to get pregnant after menopause.
Menopause in women typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, although some women may experience symptoms as early as 40 or even younger. The duration of menopause varies and is related to individual nutrition, constitution, genetics, natural conditions, and social factors.
After menopause, a woman's ovarian function begins to decline, making pregnancy difficult or causing infertility. Many women mistakenly believe that it's impossible to conceive after menopause. However, many painful lessons have shown that pregnancy during menopause is indeed possible.
Why can you still get pregnant after menopause? The misunderstanding lies in ovulation. Many people believe that menopause means no more ovulation. In reality, the decline in ovarian ovulation function does not mean complete anovulation. Especially in the early menopausal transition, ovulatory cycles are still relatively common, gradually being replaced by anovulatory cycles. Due to the decline in ovarian function, the original ovulation pattern is disrupted, making ovulation time unpredictable, and it's even possible to ovulate more than once a month. Therefore, pregnancy is still possible in the first few years of menopause, including within the first year after menopause. However, to avoid an unexpected pregnancy, menopausal women are advised to use contraception.
Some patients with ovarian amenorrhea can become pregnant after treatment.
The ovaries are the organs that produce eggs. Menopause means that the ovaries atrophy, their function declines, and their eggs are depleted. Menopause in young girls can be divided into two situations: if it is due to congenital ovarian hypoplasia and there are no eggs, it is called primary ovarian amenorrhea; if it is due to acquired causes that deplete the eggs in the ovaries and cause amenorrhea, it is called secondary ovarian amenorrhea, which is also known as premature ovarian failure.
There are various causes of ovarian amenorrhea. Sometimes there are no eggs at all, sometimes a few eggs are produced, and in rare cases, eggs are produced but do not respond to gonadotropins. Therefore, it cannot all be interpreted as a lack of eggs, meaning that pregnancy is still possible even with ovarian amenorrhea. Some patients with premature ovarian failure, after systematic treatment, have a chance to regain fertility once ovulation occurs.
Amenorrhea during puberty is mostly reversible and does not affect fertility.
The most common reason why teenage girls don't menstruate is puberty amenorrhea, but this amenorrhea is definitely not the same as menopause as people understand it.
Amenorrhea can be divided into primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea refers to a girl who has not menstruated by age 18, while secondary amenorrhea refers to a girl who has previously menstruated but has stopped menstruating for more than six menstrual cycles. Physiological amenorrhea often occurs before puberty, during pregnancy, lactation, and after menopause. In pathological amenorrhea, primary amenorrhea is more often caused by congenital diseases, while secondary amenorrhea is mostly caused by acquired diseases.
Excluding organic lesions, menstrual irregularities in teenage girls are mostly due to amenorrhea during puberty, and are related to emotions, stress, and changes in lifestyle habits. Prolonged excessive academic pressure, depression, suppressed anger, or significant mental stress and trauma can reduce estrogen secretion, leading to menstrual disorders and amenorrhea. Additionally, excessively thin or obese girls are also prone to menstrual irregularities.
Most cases of amenorrhea during puberty are reversible and can usually be cured with a period of treatment and physical and mental adjustment.
Therefore, it is not impossible for women to get pregnant again after menopause.
