Is it possible to get pregnant at 40 years old? Pregnancy and age

Modern women forget a little about their original purpose - procreation and postpone their pregnancy until the age of 40. Although medicine believes that today you can get pregnant at any age, women experience problems associated with many factors.

We present to your attention useful information about how to get pregnant after 40. We will discuss the possibilities of successfully bearing a child at this age, and also talk about the means that will help with this.

Is it easy to conceive and give birth after 40?

The characteristics of each individual woman for childbearing depend on her heredity. Therefore the answer to the question is: “Is it possible to get pregnant after 40 years?”– individual.

As medical research shows, after the age of 30, the average woman experiences the following changes in her body:

the number of ovulations is reduced, many menstrual cycles pass without egg maturation;
various diseases of the genital organs may begin;
chronic diseases may appear that directly affect reproductive function;
the likelihood of miscarriage increases and the risk of complications doubles.

All this information leads many women to ask: “How to get pregnant if you can’t after 40?”

What needs to be done before conception?

Everyone knows that the number of eggs in the female body is limited, and their number gradually decreases every year. The process becomes most active after 37 years. Studies show that after 40 years of age the possibility of getting pregnant decreases to 50%; after 43 years of age the rate drops to 2%.

To reduce these indicators, you need to do the following:

First, you need to go through full examination future parents. Tests will show hidden infections that you may not even be aware of;
It is necessary to stop dieting, as well as the use of strong physical activity;
Start performing a set of physical exercises to strengthen your back and abdomen. Increase the amount of time you spend outside;
90 days before conception, completely give up all alcohol and cigarettes. Both partners must do this;
Eliminate junk food and caffeine from your diet;
Start taking vitamin complexes;
Minimize stressful situations.

After all this, if you cannot get pregnant, you need to consult a specialist for advice and further examination.

When is the best time to plan to conceive?

The most likely time is the 14th day from the start of the menstrual cycle, although this is ideal. In reality, many factors influence the optimal time for conception. It is especially difficult to determine the day when your periods become irregular. Second important point is an updated material, meaning male sperm.

To give birth to a healthy baby, it is better to abstain from sexual intercourse a few days before ovulation.

The most successful day for conception is the time of ovulation or a couple of days before it, since it has been proven that sperm live in a woman’s body for up to four days. All this once again confirms that there is still a chance of getting pregnant after 40 years.

Pros and cons of such a pregnancy

The statistics are inexorable and everyone knows that each subsequent year after the 35th birthday reduces a woman’s ability to become pregnant on her own. Accordingly, after 40, the reproductive function comes to an end, so you may encounter difficulties. However, there are significant benefits to having a baby at this age.

Positive sides late pregnancy:

A solid foundation has been laid for the birth of a child. This includes not only the financial condition of the parents, but also the adult psychological attitude regarding future responsibility;
Mothers after 40 years try to eat healthy foods and do not give up breastfeeding. Life experiences lead to changes in priorities;
Such parents are patient and wise, they devote a lot of time to the development of the baby.

Negative sides:

The main thing is that at this age it is difficult to conceive a child. The eggs have also become older, which means they may have chromosomal abnormalities, which affects the child’s health;
With age, not only do eggs age, but the uterus itself becomes less suitable for pregnancy;
The older a woman is, the more diseases she develops that affect the unborn child;
Statistics say that after forty, the percentage of miscarriages, the birth of children with Down syndrome or with genetic disorders, as well as missed abortions increases.

How to get pregnant after 40: folk remedies

Since ancient times, women who dreamed of finding the happiness of motherhood have used different means traditional medicine.

Let's look at the most effective folk methods:

You can increase the activity of eggs due to the boron uterus. This drug will help to significantly increase the likelihood of conception, regardless of age. For the tincture you will need 2 tbsp. spoons of dried plant, which are filled with 0.5 liters of water. After stirring, bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and leave in a dark place for 30 minutes. Now the medicine is filtered and you can start taking 1 tbsp. spoon before each meal;
If your hormonal levels are weak, you can use a red brush. To prepare the drug, take 1 tbsp. spoon of the crushed root of this plant and pour a glass of boiling water. Then continue to boil for 25 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 60 minutes in a dark place. After straining, you can start drinking. The consumption schedule is simple - 1 tbsp. spoon before each meal. The course of treatment is 45 days, then a break of 10 days and can be repeated;
Okay on hormonal background influence of medicine based on sage. The proportions are the same: 1 tbsp. spoon of plant per glass of water. The liquid must be hot. The composition is simply infused in the shade for 60 minutes. After filtering, begin to take 1 tbsp twice a day. spoon. Course 30 days.

The main thing to remember is that in this sensitive matter, if you decide to start taking any medications or are using them to get pregnant after 40, folk remedies, be sure to consult your doctor first.

Pregnancy after forty years is far from a clear-cut phenomenon and causes a large number of contradictions. But at the same time, many women are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant after forty years and how great are the chances of having a full-fledged and healthy child.

Late pregnancy to some extent has risks and is quite difficult. But situations arise when a woman is faced with a choice and cannot accurately decide for herself this sensitive issue. To fully decide, you should carefully study all possible disadvantages and positive sides pregnancy after forty.

Pros and cons of pregnancy after forty

It is worth noting that late pregnancy still has more positive qualities. The main ones include:

The negative qualities of late pregnancy lie in the personal health of the pregnant woman and the body’s ability to bear a fetus. Unfortunately, statistics show the following data:

By the age of forty, a woman’s reproductive function begins to decline and the number of eggs in the ovaries becomes much smaller. Moreover, the number of cells for fertilization is laid down at the embryonic stage of development of the future woman. But in our time, late pregnancy is not uncommon and in most cases ends happily.

To conceive naturally, an older woman will have to try hard, as metabolic processes in the body begin to decline and the onset of menopause is approaching. To cheat time, a woman must have excellent health, become pregnant, carry and give birth to a full-fledged child.

Planning pregnancy after forty

Planning a late pregnancy is a rather serious issue and must be approached with the full degree of responsibility. It is best to seek help from a qualified gynecologist. The doctor will prescribe the necessary tests and give useful recommendations. Basic planning rules:

To achieve a positive result, you should follow all the above recommendations. At the same time, planning should begin in advance, especially if there are gynecological problems.

Conceiving naturally after forty can take a considerable amount of time. In order to give birth to a healthy and healthy child without any problems, you should visit a qualified doctor in advance.

How to get pregnant after forty

Even with careful planning of pregnancy, it is not always possible for a woman to become pregnant immediately after forty years. There are several ways you can try:

Late pregnancy causes a large number of discussions and opinions of various kinds. It is fraught with not very positive consequences. But this does not mean that a woman should refuse last chance become a happy mother! You need to weigh the pros and cons and maybe it's worth taking the risk. After all, every woman should know the joy and indescribable feelings of motherhood!

Age of women giving birth in last years not getting any younger. On the contrary, the first birth at the age of 40 and even later is becoming quite normal and commonplace. And a second or third child at this age will not surprise anyone at all. This is how the time was ordered - modern women First they get an education, build a career, carefully choose a partner, and only then, when there is a feeling of certain stability, do they think about the birth of an heir.

Another situation is that the child grew up and left. The woman understands that she really wants to give her love to someone again, and besides, she can still become a mother physiologically. Whatever the reason for pregnancy at this age, it is worth knowing that childbirth after 40 years has its own characteristics. We will talk about them in this article.

Attitude in society

A woman who is planning to give birth to a child after 40 years of age, from the point of view of obstetricians, belongs to the category of old-time mothers. No matter how offensive this word may sound, it is just a term that has nothing to do with age, but with possible risks and complications that may arise before and after childbirth.

The concept of “old-born” changed regularly. In the early 90s of the last century, doctors considered all pregnant women who were going to give birth after 27 years to be pregnant. Now the age limit has been raised to 36 years. But late birth at 40 and older will be considered only in Russia. In the USA and most European countries, such a concept does not exist in obstetrics at all. This means that the effect of age on pregnancy and childbirth is somewhat exaggerated.

Of course, it is rare to meet a woman who, by the age of 40, has never become pregnant. Unfortunately, the obstetric history of such women in labor in most cases is very rich in facts and events - some were treated for a long time for infertility, others had abortions, considering the birth of a child untimely, and still others had to resort to the services of reproductive specialists by the age of 40 and agree to IVF.

In addition, by the age of 40, up to 90% of women have one or more chronic diseases. It is this history that affects gestation and subsequent births. Age itself does not have a big influence.

In Russia, a woman giving birth is looked at with surprise bordering on sympathy. They look about the same way in antenatal clinics, although in Lately Certain positive trends have emerged.

If a woman has firmly decided to become a mother at 40 or more, she needs to learn to be firm and decisive, impenetrable and invulnerable to other people’s curiosity, mockery, ridicule. From the point of view of religions, childbirth in Balzac's age

are not prohibited. Neither in Orthodoxy, nor in Islam, nor in Buddhism are there age restrictions for the first and subsequent births.

As we have already found out, 90% of the prognosis of pregnancy and childbirth depends on the woman’s medical history, and not on her calendar age. But there is another 10% that we need to talk about separately. These are typical age-related risk factors. First of all, a woman’s ovarian reserve gets older and depleted every year. This means that even if pregnancy occurs, the quality of the genetic material (in this case, the egg) will leave much to be desired. This is dangerous primarily due to the higher risks of giving birth to a child with genetic and chromosomal abnormalities.

According to statistics, at the age of 20-24, a pregnant woman has a risk of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome in 1 case in 1562 pregnancies. Among the age group of 35-39 years, “special” children are born in 1 case out of 214 births. After 40 years of age, the risk of having a child with Down syndrome increases to 1:19; at 43 years of age it is 1:14. The risk of Edwards syndrome in a child of an elderly mother is also higher than in others. Some other chromosomal disorders that make a full life impossible for a baby, and in some cases even fatal, are also directly related to the woman’s age and the quality of the genetic material of her oocytes. The risks increase if the child’s father is also over 40 years old, since the quality of sperm and the genetic information they contain also suffers with age.

Chronic diseases pose a danger. Four decades is a considerable period of time, during which even the person leading healthy image life, acquires certain ailments. Mother’s illnesses can affect the health of the baby, the process of pregnancy and birth.

Miscarriage poses a great risk. Pregnancy requires the mobilization of all organs and systems in the body expectant mother global changes and restructuring are taking place. If a woman has chronic diseases, they can manifest themselves during pregnancy, which will complicate pregnancy and may cause spontaneous abortion.

The health of a woman over 40 is greatly influenced by the environmental situation - long-term residence in polluted, environmentally unsafe regions can lead not only to the aging of the genetic material in the eggs, but also to the mutation of certain genes, which, again, is fraught with birth defects fetal development, genetic abnormalities.

The muscle tissue of a woman at the age of forty is no longer as elastic as at the age of 20, and therefore independent childbirth is considered acceptable, but quite risky. Such women in labor often develop primary or secondary labor weakness and stress on the blood vessels and heart during physiological labor. labor activity may turn out to be overwhelming.

The opinion of doctors on this matter is this: if a woman managed to get pregnant and carry a baby after 40 years, then there is no need to expose her to additional considerable risk during childbirth. The Russian Ministry of Health indicates age requirements indication for elective caesarean section.

Of course, a woman can refuse surgery and insist on a natural birth, but in this case she should know that the risk of bleeding during childbirth and premature placental abruption will be 2.5 times higher due to the factor of age-related muscle hypotonia, the likelihood that she emergency will be required C-section will be high, and this emergency delivery operation further increases the risk of developing severe postoperative complications. A planned caesarean section is safer in this regard.

Nevertheless, the risks of miscarriage, frozen pregnancy, the birth of a child with genetic diseases and other “horror stories” that are used to “scare” pregnant women after 40 years of age exist for absolutely everyone age groups pregnant women. Probability of giving birth healthy child at the age of over 40 there is, and it is not as small as it might seem. You just need to approach the issues of bearing a child and organizing childbirth in the most responsible way.

What are the advantages?

The main advantage is the birth of a new person. Babies make their parents happy, regardless of the age of the mother and father, and by the age of 40, a woman and her partner already know how to appreciate the subtle and fragile moments of joy in life.

Usually the child that a woman goes to give birth to at Balzac's age is desired. A woman is already able to weigh and analyze her decision well. A mother prepares more carefully for the birth of such a child than for the birth of her first child at 20 years old. Needless to say, with what love a woman will treat her first child born after 40!

Psychologically, emotionally and mentally, mothers with rich age experience are more mature, and you can’t argue with that. Their decision is conscious; by this age, their financial situation usually allows them to provide the child with everything they need.

Late children are usually surrounded by the love and care of their parents. As a result, they are considered more talented, but not because the talents were given to them from above, but because the parents try to devote a lot of time to raising such a child. They love and adore him, surround him with an atmosphere of a calm, gentle aura of participation. It should be noted that late children respond in the same way, and their relationship with their parents is usually very trusting and warm.

Pregnancy in forties

For older mothers, early registration is recommended, up to 12 weeks. It is possible that for health reasons the pregnant woman will have to visit the attending physician more often. Along with other pregnant women, expectant mothers over 40 will be offered prenatal diagnostics, designed to establish the basic risks of giving birth to a fetus with chromosomal abnormalities.

Screening studies are carried out at 11-13 weeks, 16-18 weeks. In addition, the woman will be given an individual plan for examinations such as ultrasound, fetal CTG, and so on, depending on what complications are detected (if any) during pregnancy. On the recommendation of gynecologists, additional invasive procedures for prenatal diagnosis of the fetal condition can be performed - amniocentesis, cordocentesis, and so on. Such procedures require the consent of the patient herself.

If a woman is prescribed a planned caesarean section, hospitalization is carried out in advance - at 38 weeks of pregnancy, at 39 weeks a planned operation is performed. If there are no complications in the postoperative period, the woman is discharged on the fifth day. After physiological birth, if any, discharge will take place on the third day.

Myths and reality

Late childbirth is shrouded in a veil of myths, not all of which are true. Here are the most common ones.

Pregnancy and childbirth after 40 years rejuvenate the body

Indeed, at the hormonal level there is a strong “shake-up” of the female body. Increased production of estrogens, progesterone, and oxytocin helps improve blood supply to organs and tissues. But the main influence is exerted by the psychological factor - with the birth of a baby, a woman becomes a young mother. It is this status that best contributes to increasing self-esteem and a feeling of youth.

At the physiological level, the influence of hormones is not as strong as those who think that giving birth after 40 years is a way to rejuvenate. Sleepless nights, nerves, problems with lactation and other problems typical of mothers of newborns may well neutralize the influence of hormones. By the way, night vigils at the crib, which turn into daytime wakefulness, are more difficult for “adult mothers” to endure than for mothers of 20 and even 30 years old. Lack of sleep and fatigue quickly affect your well-being and appearance.

In addition, childbirth undermines the immune system. It is possible that chronic diseases will worsen, which does not contribute to rejuvenation and healing in principle.

Women who give birth late live longer

This is not a myth, but the very truth. Israeli scientists studied the life expectancy of women who conceived and gave birth to their children at 43-45 years old. They discovered a modification of some genes, as a result of which aging slows down somewhat. On average, women who give birth to their first child after age 40 have a higher chance of living to be a hundred years old. Life expectancy increases on average by 10-15 years.

After 40 years in the postpartum period, it is more difficult to lose weight and regain your previous shape

It all depends on the individual woman. There is no general pattern. Although there is some truth in this, because with age, metabolism slows down, the skin becomes less elastic, the muscles are more relaxed, which makes the process of losing weight longer, but not hopeless, as evidenced by numerous reviews from “aged” mothers.

Famous women who gave birth late

Hollywood actress Monica Bellucci gave birth to her first child a couple of weeks before her fortieth birthday. At 45 she became the mother of another child.
Actress Halle Berry gave birth to a daughter at the age of 41. This was her first child. She decided on the second one five years later - at 46 she became the mother of a charming son.
Actress Salma Hayek gave birth for the first time at age 41. A daughter was born. At the same age, Kim Basinger decided to give birth for the first time.
Russian actress Marina Mogilevskaya became a mother at the age of 41. She gave birth completely healthy and beautiful daughter Mashenka.
Nicole Kidman struggled with infertility for a long time, and only after she adopted two children was she able to get pregnant. Her daughter appeared when the actress was 40 years old. Two years later, another daughter appeared - she was carried surrogate mother. Nicole herself decided not to risk it.
Russian TV presenter and actress Svetlana Permyakova also gave birth to a girl at the age of 40. Another actress Olga Drozdova became a mother for the first time at 42 years old.
And Mariah Carey, at 41, became the mother of two children at once - her twins were born, conceived using in vitro fertilization.

The list of women who became mothers after 40 years old can be continued with such names as Kelly Preston, Geena Davis, Brooke Shields, Celine Dion.

Salma Hayek

Monica Bellucci

Nicole Kidman

Those who say that childbirth at this age is dangerous cite the example of Evelina Bledans, who is raising a boy with Down syndrome. There are many more positive examples.

Watch the following video about the pros and cons of late childbirth.

Sometimes we don’t have time to take care of our bodies. We live at work, the years go by, and our muscles become decrepit. And now, the moment comes when we decide to finally start exercising, because it is already necessary. And you want to not only improve your health, but also improve your physical fitness, which a sedentary lifestyle has significantly spoiled. Then a very important question arises: is it possible to build muscle after 40 years in principle?

Is it too late to start?

Someone will say: it's never too late to start something. Without being so categorical, we can say that “points of no return” still exist. These are serious illnesses or the end of life.

But as long as you can move, you don’t have serious illnesses, you can do something with your body.

The good news is that our body is a partially renewable resource, that is, capable of restoration. With the help of nutrition, certain procedures and physical training, you can significantly improve your figure and health.

It doesn't matter how old you are! It is important how healthy your body is and how unbending your will is. Muscle growth at 40 years of age is slower than at 20, but the process is still ongoing and impressive results can be achieved. The main thing is not to go ahead, but to do a little preliminary preparation.

Age-related changes in body systems

Before starting regular physical activity to develop muscles, analyze your health. That is, evaluate the point at which you are currently.

It is advisable to familiarize yourself with information about natural age-related changes in the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and hormonal systems. This will help you correctly build a training strategy and achieve results without harming yourself.

The cardiovascular system

It's no secret that the heart weakens over the years. If you do not train it, this process noticeably accelerates. We’ll talk about the “motor” itself a little later, but now about the vessels.

The circulatory system – these are the vessels – also undergoes changes. In particular, their walls lose elasticity, become weaker and thinner. Therefore, blood pressure may “jump.”

Chronic hypertension of varying degrees is a common diagnosis in people over 30 years of age. Lack of physical activity and extra pounds lead to the fact that the vessels are not able to withstand pressure and can become deformed and even rupture. As a result, varicose veins, thrombosis and various hemorrhages occur.

Nutrition also greatly affects the condition of blood vessels.

When a person exercises his body, runs or just goes to the gym, his metabolism speeds up. Thus, consumed fats are absorbed much better, low-density cholesterol is not deposited on the inner surface of blood vessels and does not impede blood flow.

In the absence of physical activity by the age of 30–40, atherosclerosis can occur when consuming large amounts of animal fats.

In general, it should be said that sport is not a panacea. But it significantly improves the quality of life by slowing down aging. We are talking about amateur sports for the sake of health. Professional sports have nothing to do with health.

If you start studying in late age, you need to clearly know the condition of your blood vessels - for this you will need to go to a cardiologist or therapist. The cardiologist will also check the heart - that’s his business. Doctors will be able to tell you what kind of stress you can give to your body without risking your health. And then you will be guided by your feelings - you can do more - do it.

Heart

By the age of 40, the heart is pretty worn out. It consists of striated muscle. Unlike its “colleagues”, who are perfectly subject to conscious control, it is very difficult to control the heart. It walks on its own, guided by the commands of its own pacemakers.

Vessels clogged with cholesterol conduct less blood per unit of time than healthy ones. Accordingly, less blood is delivered to organs and their tissues, including the heart. All this threatens a heart attack - cell death due to lack of oxygen.

That is, the degree of blood supply to the heart is important. If everything is fine with this, you can gradually begin training.

If the person who is planning to exercise has a history of heart attacks, this may complicate the task. Then the range of permissible loads is greatly limited.

Rhythm disturbances and abnormalities in the functioning of the heart also interfere with training. And again, the cardiologist will tell you all the nuances. As a last resort, there are cardiology centers in each region, whose specialists are best able to help you.

Muscles

Over the years, muscles atrophy if they are not loaded. But it doesn't matter! Muscle tissue quickly adapts to the load and grows again. You should approach training gradually, giving the body time to recover.

By the way, at 40 years old recovery is slower than at 20. At 70 it is even slower. This must be taken into account and rest just enough for the body to fully recover.

You need to be careful with previously damaged muscles. Pay attention to places where there were sprains, tears, and fractures. The load on them must be increased especially slowly.

Skeletal system

Bones are stronger at 30 than at 40 – that’s a fact. Nutritional and metabolic characteristics greatly influence this factor. If your diet is low in calcium, it will have a bad effect on your skeleton. Or calcium may simply not be retained in the body, then you need to consult an endocrinologist.

Most nutritionists recommend eating cottage cheese, and they say, most likely, everything will be fine. But there is another problem - over the years, the ability to digest dairy products decreases. Some people may have an upset stomach after drinking a glass of milk. This complicates the situation; calcium will then have to be taken from vitamin complexes.

Give your bones time to adapt to stress. You don't need to lift heavy weights right away. You may feel discomfort in your bones during exercise - this is normal. Take lighter weights.

Ligaments and tendons

Connective tissue has one property - it stretches. The elasticity of connective tissue varies from person to person. Some are flexible, while others cannot even tie their shoelaces without squatting.

If you really decide to start gaining muscle mass after thirty, spend more time stretching. Slowly pull the back of your thigh, developing your spine. Many gym exercises require good stretching. If you are not flexible enough, then you will not be able to perform the exercise in correct technique– therefore, increasing the risk of injury.

Flexibility is not needed when performing isolated exercises when you are lying on a bench. In other cases, you need to be flexible, otherwise, for example, your lower back may suffer.

When you are over forty, you are unlikely to be able to touch the floor with your toes on straight legs. This is what you need to try to achieve first.

A common problem for people over 40 is osteochondrosis. Therefore, it is better for you to lift weights in an orthopedic belt to protect yourself from intervertebral hernias.

Testosterone, metabolism

As men age, testosterone production slows down. Therefore, at 50 years old, muscle building will be slower than at 40. At first you will for a long time tone the muscles. Then there will be a slight increase in strength and endurance.

Of course, when you reach significant weights, testosterone production will increase. But with the same ease as it was at 20, at 40 you won’t be able to build muscles, so be prepared for this.

If you have any problems with the activity of testosterone-producing glands, contact your endocrinologist.

You will feel an increase in the production of this hormone immediately - your mood will rise, your well-being will improve, vitality will appear, and, of course, the sexual side of your life will noticeably improve.

Everything is clear about 40 years old, but is it possible to build muscle at 50 years old? The same thing should be said about this as about 40 years. When training at an older age, it is especially important to be aware of your blood pressure and heart function!

In the Middle Ages, if anyone has forgotten from the school curriculum, an age closer to forty was already considered the age of maturity. The average lifespan was plus or minus thirty years. But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, medicine has made great strides forward, and turning into the fourth decade doesn’t seem like something supernatural to anyone now.

Moreover, several years ago, the World Health Organization officially revised age standards - youth, according to doctors, now lasts up to 44 years!

However, all this does not cancel the laws of nature. And they say that closer to forty, the female body begins a rapid restructuring. You probably know about stubbornly adding pounds and painful sex (due to dryness in a certain place). But what other changes occur in the body after 39?

HAIR LOSS IS A COMMON PHENOMENON

Hair becomes thinner with age, and this is especially noticeable after forty. Why is this happening? Because of perimenopause, or the premenopausal period, which usually begins during these years, and in some cases even earlier.

Moreover, hair falls out everywhere. This, to be honest, is to some extent even a plus; for example, you don’t need to shave your legs so often. Sparse hair become and in intimate place. Is it good or bad? You decide.

Anyway, modern science offers many ways to stop scalp hair loss. If other places bother you, calm down. Hair loss is a long and gradual process. It begins several years before menopause and gradually progresses.

CHANGES CAN AFFECT THE BRAIN

You seem to remember some event, but it’s still somehow foggy. You may find it difficult to keep all your plans for the day in mind. And by the way, what was the name of that actress from your favorite TV series? Right there, it’s on the tip of your tongue...

This is not just a normal aging process, it is a normal aging process for women. We have estrogen receptors in the two areas of the brain responsible for memory. And the less estrogen remains in the female body, the more structural changes occur in these areas of the brain. The first area is the hippocampus, the memory center in our brain. And the second is the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for organizing information, making it better remembered.

Estrogen also increases levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps form new memories.

What can be done about this? The good news is that your forgetfulness is temporary. The brain is able to compensate for the effects of menopause; it simply adjusts to low estrogen levels. You may decide to survive the acute phase with estrogen therapy, but is it worth it? Activity in the hippocampus with such therapy, of course, increases, but temporary memory problems are not a good enough reason for hormonal therapy.

THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE BECOMES VARIABLE

It would be good if the amount of estrogen decreased gradually, but, unfortunately, this is a very unpredictable process. Once perimenopause begins, the ovaries may produce varying amounts of estrogen each month. This makes the menstrual cycle unstable - 25 days, 26, 28. Sometimes the difference is even more significant. Your period can be very heavy, and next time you may not even notice it. In a word, chaos.

If this irregularity bothers you, consult your doctor for help. The situation can be corrected with the help of hormonal contraception.

YOU CAN NO LONGER COMPLETE CONTROL OF YOUR BLADDER

Even people over forty can have problems with incontinence. Due to decreased muscle estrogen levels Bladder and the muscles that support the urethra weaken, causing leakage to occur.

Fortunately, there is different ways fight against incontinence. They are effective both in stressful situations (leaking during exercise or laughing) and in case of a sudden urge to urinate (when you don’t have time to run to the toilet).

URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS ARE MORE COMMON

Due to low estrogen, problems below the waist are common, with urinary tract infections occurring more frequently due to decreased estrogen levels after menopause. After all, it performs a protective function, preventing the activity of pathogenic bacteria. 60-70% of all women after menopause face the problem of frequent infections.

Experts recommend using estrogen cream. Local application is not as dangerous as full-fledged hormonal therapy - with a low dosage, only a small amount of estrogen enters the blood. Your doctor will help you determine the minimum dosage so that estrogen does not affect your entire body. When applied topically, it will help restore normal function of the urinary system, reducing the risk of infections.

MEANWHILE

Until now, it was believed that the peak of women’s sexual activity occurs at the age of 30 and for others at 45. About the latter, the saying “At forty-five is a woman’s berry again” was even born. However, either time makes its own adjustments, or experiments and their analysis are carried out more accurately every year, but the “peak age” turned out to be completely different for women.

According to a new study, women who are 40 years old have the best results. And, of course, experts were extremely surprised that girls who had the most favorable reproductive age - about 25 years old - turned out to be the least active sexually. Researchers believe that this is due to the so-called biological clock: at the age of 40, a woman realizes that she has less and less time left to conceive a child, and therefore begins to behave more actively, they become more relaxed and ready for more frequent sexual intercourse.