From knowing the first stages of menopause to trying to conceive, understanding fertility is important for every single woman on the planet. After all, it is essential for understanding how to prevent pregnancy as well as for how to get pregnant, when this becomes desired. For the vast majority of people, both will be true at one point or another. Being on the lookout for the first stages of menopause is quite important as well, as these first stages of menopause usher in a new phase of life. The first stages of menopause can be relatively uncomfortable as well, and so it is quite hugely beneficial to have these first stages of menopause pass by under the supervision of a doctor.
For many women, the first stages of menopause do not come until later on in life, typically in their early 50s or even late 40s. Currently, the mean age of menopause is at just over 50, and this is something that has not changed over the course of centuries, even as an increase in over all life expectancy has been seen – and quite a dramatic one at that. Going through menopause can occur earlier, however, in those who are predisposed for early menopause. When this is something that runs in a family or any given genetic line, the first stages of menopause must be watched for from an early age.
For most women, however, the ability to conceive will be present up through their 40s. However, it does begin to become harder and harder to conceive as time passes on. After all, the optimal time for a woman to conceive lies between her 20th and 24th years. Of course, most women in today’s world will not feel nearly ready to bring a child into the world at this point in time, as they are likely still in college and just getting established in the world. Fortunately, the window of fertility is a bit wider than that, and women will remain very fertile up until their 30s.
It is around the age of 30 or quite shortly after that fertility will begin to dip. However, the majority of women will still find it relatively easy to conceive, as they are still a good many years away from even the first stages of menopause. Fertility will begin to decline, however, even more sharply once a woman reaches the age of 35. At this point, it is likely that she will be more susceptible to other risk factors as well, and after this point any pregnancy experienced will be considered to be geriatric. When women try to conceive at or after the age of 40, they have a slightly less than 50% chance of being able to successfully conceive without the aid of medical intervention. For some women at this age, the first stages of menopause might have already set in.
However, perimenopause can occur long before the actual first stages of menopause, and it is something that up to 90% of all women will go through to at least some extent. This period of time can span years, and perimenopause can make conception difficult, as it disrupts the typical menstrual cycle and period of ovulation. Fortunately, even those who are experiencing perimenopause can have success conceiving, and medical methods of fertility treatments are now more possible and widely available than they have ever been before. From hormone therapy to in vitro fertilization, the possibilities are growing more vast with each passing year, and infertility can be treated with a variety of medications like hormone treatment (HRT), surgical treatments, and even just basic lifestyle changes.
For instance, there are things that you might be doing in your day to day life that are impacting your overall fertility without you even actively realizing it. Smoking, for one, can lower fertility rates for men and women alike and a couple that smokes is likely to have a more difficult time conceiving than a couple where both parties do not partake in such actions and habits. Therefore, quitting smoking is likely to raise the chances of conception for any couple who is looking to have a baby, even in the near future.
