When Entering Menopause The female body is in the Pre-Menopause Period (premenopause) in which reproductive characteristics are lost.
The most distinctive feature of this period before menopause is the menstrual bleeding that occurs at regular intervals during the reproductive age. is the loss of order.Menstrual bleeding, which usually occurs with delays, stops completely when menopause begins. Most women who are in the transition period to menopause are aware of the changes in themselves and find time to prepare for menopause psychologically and get used to the idea of not having a menstrual period.
Change in Menstrual Bleeding Characteristics
During the reproductive age, the egg cells in the "ovarian pool" respond well to the hormones secreted by the pituitary gland, and each successive month, one of them matures and is released with ovulation.
The most qualified cells, that is, the ones most sensitive to the hormones secreted from the pituitary, are secreted in the first years of the reproductive age, and in this way, it is tried to ensure that the woman becomes pregnant at the most suitable age for pregnancy.
As the years pass, the characteristics of the egg cells remaining in the ovaries begin to change. When the woman reaches the middle of her reproductive age, the remaining egg cells are cells with relatively lower maturation properties.
The decrease in the maturation ability of egg cells causes the loss of regularity in ovulation. On average, some women's menstrual cycles in their 40s occur without ovulation. This causes some menstrual bleeding to be regular and some to be delayed. As a woman gets older, the likelihood of menstrual cycles occurring without ovulation increases.
In other words, the transition period to menopause represents the period when egg cells in the ovaries begin to slowly deplete and therefore menstrual bleeding tends to become irregular. Although this period varies from woman to woman, it lasts for an average of 4 years. When the egg cells are completely exhausted, the woman enters menopause.
Approximately 10% of women enter menopause directly without going through a period of menstrual irregularity.
How Long Should Pregnancy Protection Be Continued?
In the pre-menopausal period, some of the menstrual cycles occur without ovulation, while in some others, ovulation occurs. Therefore, the woman should continue contraception until she reaches menopause.
Women who do not smoke and have no health problems can continue to use low-dose birth control pills under the supervision of a doctor. In such a case, since menstrual bleeding will continue regularly, blood tests are performed at regular intervals to determine the temporal point at which the woman enters menopause. When it is determined that the woman has entered menopause, the birth control pill is stopped.