I believe the general advice is that women under fifty years should wait until two years after their last period before assuming that they are through the menopause and therefore can no longer become pregnant, while women over fifty years can safely assume they are through the menopause when one year has elapsed since their last period.
I hope this is of help.
For myself, I began to become irregular at the age of 48 and my periods ceased at the age of 50. I went to the doctor for a scan after three months and he told me that I was not actually in the menopause and my periods should start again shortly. They did, but only carried on another three months or so before ceasing. However, it was almost two years before I felt that my hormones were no longer doing their four weekly cycling. With some women, and I was one of them, the hormonal changes during my perimenopause caused me to develop a corpus luteum in one ovary which did not degrade sufficiently to allow my womb lining to build up. So, although my hormones were still active, I had no periods.
Personally, I was very aware that my hormones were still cycling, despite the cessation of my periods some time before. I was 52 before I felt that they were no longer cycling and hence was confident my menopause really was behind me, despite the conventional wisdom. If you have similar feelings about yourself, it might be wise to heed them, and not assume you can no longer get pregnant until you feel within yourself that the monthly hormonal cycle has stopped.
I hope this is of help.
For myself, I began to become irregular at the age of 48 and my periods ceased at the age of 50. I went to the doctor for a scan after three months and he told me that I was not actually in the menopause and my periods should start again shortly. They did, but only carried on another three months or so before ceasing. However, it was almost two years before I felt that my hormones were no longer doing their four weekly cycling. With some women, and I was one of them, the hormonal changes during my perimenopause caused me to develop a corpus luteum in one ovary which did not degrade sufficiently to allow my womb lining to build up. So, although my hormones were still active, I had no periods.
Personally, I was very aware that my hormones were still cycling, despite the cessation of my periods some time before. I was 52 before I felt that they were no longer cycling and hence was confident my menopause really was behind me, despite the conventional wisdom. If you have similar feelings about yourself, it might be wise to heed them, and not assume you can no longer get pregnant until you feel within yourself that the monthly hormonal cycle has stopped.
