How to Reverse Menopause and Get Pregnant: Is It Possible?

If you’re trying to conceive and nearing menopausal age, you might be interested in how to reverse menopause and get pregnant.

In a world where we can send people into space, send messages across the world in real-time, and clone sheep, surely, pregnancy after menopause is possible?

The good news is, while menopause usually means an end to our fertile years, there is some hope if you’re TTC.

We’ll take you through the details.

In this article: 📝

Can you get pregnant after menopause?

Menopause is defined as twelve months after your period ends for good.

When this happens, you stop ovulating, so there are no longer eggs available to be fertilized.

And without those eggs, pregnancy is not possible.

But when we talk about menopause, we often include the time leading up to it, known as perimenopause.

This chapter of life is when many women experience uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and vaginal dryness.

During perimenopause, it is still possible to get pregnant as you’re still ovulating.

Can ovulation restart after menopause?

While you won’t spontaneously start ovulating after menopause, scientists are currently researching therapies that may make menopause reversal possible.

The two treatments to know about are called ovarian rejuvenation and melatonin therapy.

Ovarian rejuvenation

This treatment is still in the early days of experimentation. But it’s showing some promise.

It involves administering something called platelet-rich plasma (AKA PRP, blood that has a high concentration of cells that help with healing) and gonadotropins (hormones that increase the production of our sex hormones) in your ovaries.

The idea is that this combo will help kick-start the previous work of your ovaries and reawaken dormant follicles (the small sacs in your ovaries that have the potential to become eggs).

According to this recent study in the journal
Menopause, ovarian rejuvenation may restore ovarian function early on in menopause — at least temporarily.

This could mean that PRP therapy can be a treatment option to temporarily extend fertility in perimenopausal women.

The confirmation of any growth of new follicles can be done 1-3 months after the procedure.

And this is, of course, very exciting news for those who are TTC.

But as things currently stand, we have to wait a bit longer for this option to become a reality.

Melatonin therapy

Melatonin is a hormone in our body that regulates our sleep-wake cycles — and it might help with the changes our reproductive systems undergo during menopause.

That’s why scientists are researching whether it may be able to help with reversing menopause.

Another area where melatonin is showing some promise is in helping to preserve eggs for freezing.

So this hormone may have all sorts of fertility uses in the future.

There’s hope here, but it’s not a treatment that’s available yet.

How can I get pregnant after menopause?

Pregnancy is still possible after menopause, even if you’re no longer ovulating — and that’s through fertility treatment.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process that can help a fertilized egg implant in your uterus.

It’s done in a fertility clinic or doctor’s office.

There are two methods of IVF that can lead to pregnancy after you’ve reached menopause:

1. You can use an egg that you had frozen earlier in your life.
   
2. You can use an egg from a donor.

Whichever route you choose, the egg is fertilized with sperm cells in a lab and then put into your uterus when it’s a growing embryo, through a flexible tube called a catheter.

If the embryo successfully houses itself in the lining of your uterus and grows, you’ll become pregnant.

As this study shows, this procedure can be successful for many people.

But unfortunately, it won’t work for everyone.

There are also some risks to be aware of, primarily due to age.

As women approach and exceed 45-50 years old, pregnancy complications begin to weigh in.

This study on pregnant women in this age group due to egg-donated cycles revealed issues, like hypertension, low birth weight of the baby, and increased hospitalization as major issues.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, being pregnant later in life comes with a greater risk of pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and could affect the health of the fetus.

IVF also comes with a pretty hefty price tag.

Bottom line: pregnancy is possible after menopause.

So if this is something you want to explore, talk to your doctor about your options.

And if you’d like support along the way, check in with your Peanut community.

While no two stories are exactly the same, there is so much we share.

You don’t have to navigate this journey alone.