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Can one get pregnant after menopause?
A woman displays a pregnancy test kit. PHOTO/COURTESY.
What you need to know:
- Women have the highest number of good quality eggs and less pregnancy risks in their 20s, the time having a child is most desirable.
Dr, recently, a 55-year-old woman became pregnant after 12 years without a child. However, she had reached menopause. Can a woman in menopause get pregnant? Shiru
Dear Shiru
When a woman naturally stops having her period for at least one year, she is said to be in menopause. This happens because the ova (female eggs), which are fertilised by sperm to cause pregnancy, are over. Once ova are finished, a woman will not get pregnant naturally, except through assisted means such as In vitro fertilisation (IVF) where donated eggs are used.
Women towards menopause may have their period on and off for a few months until they completely cease.
When some women miss a period, they may mistakenly be deemed to be in menopause whereas not, risking them becoming pregnant and even going into labour unaware of their pregnancy (cryptic pregnancy).
Sometimes, this may happen because they may have been using hormonal contraception (such as injectaplan/depo provera), which may lead to a missed period. Also, a missed period may be mistaken for menopause, leading to abandonment of contraception and, therefore, pregnancy. Women may also miss their period even after discontinuing hormonal contraception and yet get pregnant.
Women have the highest number of good quality eggs and less pregnancy risks in their 20s, the time having a child is most desirable. By their 50s, a number of women are about to start menopause (perimenopausal) and, therefore, less fertile but can get pregnant naturally.
This woman may not have become pregnant for 12 years due to being less fertile at the time and using hormonal contraceptives. She may also have started dating another, more fertile man, thereby increasing her chances of becoming pregnant.
Ends
Is my itchy skin age-related?
Dr I am 72 years old and my skin itches so much especially at night. Because I cannot help but scratch the itch, my skin is now covered with scars. I keep taking prednisolone but the itching and consequently scratching never ceases. Does old age cause allergies, because I never had itching until last year? Basil Mutenda Senior
Dear Basil
Itching of the skin in the elderly may be due to the usual causes of itching including skin eczema, reaction to foods or drugs among others. That said, itching skin is a common problem among the elderly due to skin dryness resulting from loss of water through older thinner skin and loss of skin oil glands responsible for keeping the skin soft and moist. Rarely, dry, itchy skin may be a sign of diabetes, kidney disease, or liver disease or an underactive thyroid gland.
That said, many older people may fail to keep themselves clean resulting in a dirty itchy skin apart from being invaded by lice and other parasites.
Even if you never used to have an allergy you can have skin reactions to substances coming in contact with the skin or the type of soaps or detergents used to wash night pyjamas or beddings which may need checking out. Also check out drugs or foods you are taking.
Meanwhile, you need to take a lot of fluids, clean up, use moisturising creams and get dewormed. Also, parasites such as lice or bed bugs have to be looked for and removed. If these measures fail, please visit your doctor or a skin specialist.
