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[treehugger1]

Being irregular does not prevent you from getting pregnant.

But how does one know when one has crossed the line from "irregular" to truly menopausal (not "menopausal"). Example: the last period I had was just over a year ago. So, an entire year w/o periods ... is this irregularity? Or something beyond that? One of the reasons we waited so long was because the official onset of menopause is (apparently) one whole year after one's last period.

I also checked out the info about menopause and age. Forty-five, although young, is still considered within the normal range for menopause (right on the cusp, actually, but still normal). Since I have had no other health problems, I suppose I have no reason to think it's not menopause.

But still feels a little scary.

[inthelab]

Being irregular does not prevent you from getting pregnant.

But how does one know when one has crossed the line from "irregular" to truly menopausal (not "menopausal").

Get hormone levels measured.  Your ob-gyn will interpret them and tell you where you are vis-a-vis menopause, and whether you need contraceptives.

[lemonbar]

No one said the rate of pregnancy of women over 40 was the same as a teenager's -- only that the group with the second highest number of abortions was women over 40 (second only after teenagers).

I think I had a surprise too. I don't think it is that common at all for someone my age to get pregnant and stay pregnant with a genetically "normal" child.

treehugger, I don't know how doctors tell when you have actually become menopausal. The absence of a period for one year is usually one major sign. What I am saying to you, and what I think others are saying to you, is that if you want to be cautious (and it seems like you do, given that you do not want children) you should see your doctor just to make sure you can safely go without contraceptives. It's probably best not to self-diagnose in this situation.

[macaroon]

treehugger1 - If you don't want to worry about birth control anymore, why not go for surgical sterilization?  Your husband could get the Big V, or you might want to consider the Essure process.  This is pretty new - they put a thingamabob in your fallopian tubes, and your tubes scar over it.  It doesn't hurt much and won't keep you out of work, unlike a tubal ligation. 

[treehugger1]

Being irregular does not prevent you from getting pregnant.

But how does one know when one has crossed the line from "irregular" to truly menopausal (not "menopausal").

Get hormone levels measured.  Your ob-gyn will interpret them and tell you where you are vis-a-vis menopause, and whether you need contraceptives.

Sounds like the smart thing to do. I've entered it on my medium term to-do list. Thanks.

[msparticularity]

FWIW, "menopause" is technically considered to occur at the one-year anniversary of the last period--per the Mayo Clinic, among others. The average age for this is 51. I, too, appear to be "paused" since I will hit my one-year anniversary in a week. (I'm about to turn 50.) However, not even the hormonal tests are totally accurate. Anthroid was at 8 months last year, had the hormone levels test, and was assured by her doc that she was done. Not quite, as it turned out. She's my pal and a terrific role model, but I'm hoping to NOT follow her example on this one!

[finallyfullprof]

As someone who went through POF in my 30s, I have had the battery of tests.  Ideally your gynecologist will test for FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, prolactin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. After the first tests, a second series of tests (which typically won't include all these) will be ordered to confirm menopause. It's usually done about three months later. That's how the confirmation takes place. Until you are 100% sure, use birth control. I don't necessarily subscribe to the "one year with no period" theory because I went a whole year without one and was told (without testing, by a doctor long since fired) that I would probably never have one again. While on vacation, I started a little over one year to the day of the last one. I then spent six months with highly irregular cycles before I quit altogether.

[treehugger1]

I don't necessarily subscribe to the "one year with no period" theory because I went a whole year without one and was told (without testing, by a doctor long since fired) that I would probably never have one again. While on vacation, I started a little over one year to the day of the last one. I then spent six months with highly irregular cycles before I quit altogether.

Interesting. Maybe I should fire my doc too. I just went a few days ago and he said (within the course of about 45 seconds, maybe in response to the way in which I phrased my questions): "Sure. Pregnancy after menopause is not that uncommon." "No, you don't worry about birth control, you won't get pregant." So, whatever.

I'm scheduled for a hormone test and have an appointment with a gynecologist. However, it seems clear that no matter what the results I won't have a definitive answer ... at least according to my web research. All the official medical websites described bleeding after menopause (defined as 12 months w/o period) as pathological and as attributable to a variety of problems from cancer to stress. However, in the vast majority of non-official, personal accounts (fora, blogs, etc) post-menopausal bleeding turns out to be just another period. "So, I went to my OB-GYN and they couldn't find anything wrong. Sux, though." Or, something to that effect. Even more interesting and, frankly, scary, are personal accounts of women actually getting unexpectedly pregnant 2,3, even 7 years after menopause has been *officially* declared.

So, I suppose I'll be using contraceptives until I'm 75. Sigh.