Pre-Menopause is an ilness which affects more and more women and it’s diagnosis can worry them as the tendency is to think they can never have children. However, it’s possible to be a mother thanks to assisted reproduction.
What is pre-menopause?
Pre-menopause ocurrs when a woman loses her ovarian function, diminishing the flow of estrogen. The age of menopause comes determined by the particular ovarian reserve of each woman at birth, and by the rhythm at which those eggs are used up during the menstrual cycle. Generally, it ocurrs between the age of 45 and 55, but if it’s before the age of 40, it’s pre-menopause.
The reasons why menopause occurs are various. It can be due to genetic factors, which in many cases means that women with menopause have a family history of early menopause. It can also occur after carrying out oncologic treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, due to a premature ovarian failure or to an ovarian surgical intervention
What are the pre-menopause symptoms?
Menopause implies the loss of fertility and can carry negative physical and psycological conseuqences. The first sign of pre-menopause is irregular periods that can go on for a few months. Furthermore, there can be vaginal driness, changes in mood, depression, lack of libido, hot flushes and difficulty to fall asleep.
Can a pregnancy be obtained?
Now a days, thanks to assisted reproduction, it’s possible to fulfill the yearn of being a mother through egg donation. Donor concieved eggs are fertilised in the lab with the patients partners sperm or from another anonymous donor, and the resulting embryo is paced in the recipients woomb to carry the embryo. IVF with egg donation offers very high success rates due to the donors age and the careful selection of the best quality eggs.
Its also important to take into account that pre-menopause can be diagnosed with time. For this reason it’s very important to carry out preventive tests, especially if there is family history with menopause before the age of 40. The detection can be obtained with a simple ultrasound during the annual gynecological check up, where the doctor observes if the ovarian reserve is low. If confirmed, an egg freezing can also be carried out, this way preserving fertility. These frozen eggs can be used later on in an IVF.