Not all women who think they’re out of “the danger zone” for getting pregnant actually are. Misunderstanding how menopause works could lead to a very surprising pregnancy.
According to the North American Menopause Society, menopause is “the final menstrual period and usually confirmed when a woman has missed her periods for 12 consecutive months (in the absence of other obvious causes).”
Until you’ve reached that year mark with no periods, you haven’t technically started menopause, and therefore you can’t completely rule out the chance of getting pregnant.
As this article explains:
When most women say they’re ‘going through menopause,’ most likely they’re going through what’s called perimenopause. Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when women begin to miss menstrual cycles and experience menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes and trouble sleeping.
If you have any questions regarding menopause, contact your women’s physician to learn more about what you can expect.