Contraception in premenopause.

Abstract:

After age 40, the woman enters a period in which there may be two different reproductive conditions. First, although her fertility decreases gradually, she maintains a risk of latent pregnancy. Second, the slow decline in ovarian function causes changes in sex hormone concentrations. Faced with this problem, both the physician and the patient should consider the use of contraceptive methods. While the premenopausal period may be associated with loss of libido, most women remain sexually active and will need some contraceptive method if they do not want to get pregnant. It is true that fertility decreases significantly with age and as it progresses, women are less likely to get pregnant, but still at high risk of pregnancy. Although fertility decreases with age, the percentage of unwanted pregnancies in premenopausal women (40%) is no different than the figures observed in younger women. This risk of pregnancy in women over 40 years translates a series of misperceptions, both in women themselves and in physicians. It is mistakenly thought that women in the climacteric have very low fertility and therefore do not require effective contraception. In addition, that hormonal contraceptives involve a high risk of unwanted effects in this age group, especially thrombotic. However, these behaviors do not consider that current contraceptives, due to their low doses, do not imply greater risks. Nor are the risks involved in pregnancy in older women considered.

Año de publicación:

2020

Keywords:

• contraception
• Cáncer
• Pregnancy
• Reproductive risks
• PREMENOPAUSE

Fuente:

scopus