# Birth control and age **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926 "2010-09-16T02:06:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/21 "2010-09-17T16:20:56Z")
I don’t want to find out the hard way. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/22 "2010-09-17T17:59:46Z")
So decades of expense and hormones which might at this point be harmful to your health versus seven days of cramps? ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/23 "2010-09-17T19:17:50Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > So decades of expense and hormones which might at this point be harmful to your health versus seven days of cramps? You’ve never had really bad ones, I’d guess from this comment. I used to have cramps so bad the first couple days of my period I could barely walk, and I’d often throw up too. I also had very heavy, long periods and was anemic. I couldn’t afford to take sick leave for 1-2 days every month to deal with the pain and the mess and it really negatively affected my work life. A major reason I started on BC pills was to fix these problems, and they did, beautifully. That and not having to worry about pregnancy was fantastic. Definitely better living through chemistry. **BigBertha** , I feel your pain (heh). The last couple times I’ve had a blood pressure check my systolic number has been slightly elevated and while my doctor isn’t concerned about it yet, I go to Planned Parenthood to get my BC and they aren’t happy about it at all, so my days on hormonal BC are probably numbered as well (I’m 48). The next time I go in for a check if it’s still elevated I’ll be having convos with both care providers to see what my options are. I hope I won’t have to go back to the bad old days, but that was a long time ago, so I hope things will be different if I can’t do the hormone thing any more. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/24 "2010-12-01T21:18:54Z")
Okay. I was supposed to get the depo shot, but got my FSH levels tested (this tests for menopause). Its 59 and anything over 25 is peri menopause, over 50 is menopause. So I’ve decided to do no hormones, assuming (though by a few more months with no period, I’ll know for sure) I have gone through menopause. My question now is, what if I have sex? How good is the condom, as thats all we’d be using, especially at my age? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/25 "2010-12-01T21:47:10Z")
Sorry to hijack but I am unaware of your relationship status. Are you in a long-term committed relationship? If that’s the case, you could talk about your SO having a vasectomy. I know it is a non-starter with some guys but if your (and his) baby-making days are over… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/26 "2010-12-01T22:01:19Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > My question now is, what if I have sex? How good is the condom, as thats all we’d be using, especially at my age? The condom has, for all couples who use them including young fertile bunnies, about a 17% failure rate with actual use. This means that for every 100 couples using condoms, 17 of them will get pregnant in a year. I would expect it to be more effective for a peri/menopausal woman, since all those months you don’t ovulate are going to give you 100% “effectiveness” for the condom, but I don’t know that anyone’s done a study limited to peri/menopausal condom use. Now, pair those condoms with a spermicide, and you’re into the 2.5% or less failure rate category, darn near to the Pill and Depo. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1743276](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1743276) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/27 "2010-12-01T23:31:57Z")
What I know is that high blood pressure can be mysterious. I have a friend who is in her 70s and has uncontrollable high blood pressure, although she takes several medications for it. Overweight, you ask? She is 5’4" and has recently gotten her weight up from 80 to 81 pounds by overeating as much as she is able. Her weight is certainly not healthy, but her doctor cannot explain why she cannot gain. She is, incidentally, a vegetarian (pisco-ovo-lacto vegetarian, but doesn’t eat mammal or fowl or anything not kosher). ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/28 "2010-12-02T00:28:12Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > Okay. I was supposed to get the depo shot, but got my FSH levels tested (this tests for menopause). Its 59 and anything over 25 is peri menopause, over 50 is menopause. So I’ve decided to do no hormones, assuming (though by a few more months with no period, I’ll know for sure) I have gone through menopause. > My question now is, what if I have sex? How good is the condom, as thats all we’d be using, especially at my age? Honey, with an FSH of 59, the odds of your getting pregnant are _miniscule_. Many fertility centers won’t treat patients with a measurement over 12 because the chance of getting pregnant is so low, even with IVF. In general, a woman over 45 has less than a 1% chance of getting pregnant via IVF with her own eggs, and that’s the women who aren’t menopausal. Go forth and fornicate freely, you have no worries about birth control any more. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/29 "2010-12-02T00:56:26Z")
To answer the poster above, I’ve been celibate for 4 years, but hope to have a new relationship soon. I guess I shouldn’t worry about pregnancy, but to the poster above me who said fornicate freely, to anyone else reading this, always use a condom even if you’ve passed menopause because of diseases out there. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/30 "2010-12-02T05:48:28Z")
Another apologetic hijack: what kind of shampoo did you finally settle on? ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/31 "2010-12-02T07:47:41Z")
Ha. oh my. Actually when I run out of my cheap one, I am going to get Redken. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/32 "2010-12-02T08:36:45Z")
Wow. You’re 50, blood tests indicate you are in menopause, you aren’t in a relationship, if you start a relationship you will use condoms. You are SO not in any danger of getting pregnant. If you are worried about cramps, well … it doesn’t look like you are going to have to worry about menstrual cramps either. Perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes and things, well … maybe, IANAD so I can’t say for sure. But if you are worried about severe symptoms, it’s HRT time, not birth control time. AFAIK, HRT is no longer recommended unless a woman is really suffering a lot from particularly extreme symptoms. At some point, you just have to get through what your aging body needs to get through. Using hormonal BC at age 50 seems so strange that I’m surprised you have a doctor that advocates it … unless the doctor sees it as HRT and not pregnancy prevention? ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/33 "2010-12-02T08:47:55Z")
I took pills for over seven years because even in my 40’s, I had extreme cramps, and the pill solved that. I didn’t want to stop the pills, but the doctors said they were causing my high blood pressure, which is now (with my meds I was on before I stopped the pill) nice and around 100/60. Its been three months and minor spotting occured but thats it. I have no menopausal symptoms. also, my gyno said many women are still on birth control at age 50 and so, as long as their blood pressure is low, its fine. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/34 "2010-12-03T20:34:36Z")
**CairoCarol** - you’re dead wrong about contraception. Current advice is to use a reliable method of contraception until 1 year after your last period if you are over 50, or 2 years without a period if you are under 50 at menopause, or until the age of 55 if you are still having periods at that age. Menopause is retrospectively diagnosed as your last period and requires 12 months period free to be confirmed. Blood tests help confirm, but can’t guarantee you won’t ovulate if you are still having periods. The WHO assigns risks to various criteria for combined oral contraceptives. they are: 1. A condition for which there is no restriction for the use of the contraceptive method. 2. A condition where the advantages of using the method generally outweigh the theoretical or proven risks. 3. A condition where the theoretical or proven risks usually outweigh the advantages of using the method. 4. A condition which represents an unacceptable health risk if the contraceptive method is used. Age over 40 is class 2 as long as there are no other contra-indications. The risks with blood pressure relate to how high it is, not what caused it. 140-159/90-99- class 3 160/100 or higher- class 4 High cholesterol-class 2 or 3 depending on other risk factors. Full guidance (pdf): [http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241563888\_eng.pdf](http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241563888_eng.pdf) As \*\*Whynot \*\*says, if BP is high enough it is a reason to stop the pill by itself. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/35 "2010-12-03T21:16:27Z")
I had been on bp medicine for a year and it kept my pressure at 140/80 about. Then one day it was 160/100. Then I was told to stop the pill which I did. This was 3 months ago. Now my bp is 100/60 and no period yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/36 "2010-12-05T05:05:55Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > **CairoCarol** - you’re dead wrong about contraception. > Current advice is to use a reliable method of contraception until 1 year after your last period if you are over 50, or 2 years without a period if you are under 50 at menopause, or until the age of 55 if you are still having periods at that age. What is the current advice regarding the likelihood of pregnancy in a woman with an FSH of 59? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/37 "2010-12-05T14:38:56Z")
**irishgirl** , she’s not even having sex! And if she did, she’d use a condom. How that translates into my being “dead wrong” about her chances of getting pregnant at 50 with menopausal FSH levels, I’m not sure. IANAD, but as patient, I would certainly ask my own doctor whether the potential risks of hormonal birth control were outweighing the pregnancy prevention aspects of taking the pill in BigBertha’s situation. (Yes, I now get that she’s doing it to avoid menstrual cramps rather than to avoid getting pregnant - but that’s not what the title of the thread implies.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926/38 "2010-12-05T15:15:16Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What is the current advice regarding the likelihood of pregnancy in a woman with an FSH of 59? Remember that FSH isn’t constant. If it stays at 59, then yeah, there’s very little liklihood that she can get pregnant. But one of the dirty tricks of fertility is that the FSH level can drop suddenly and without warning in perimenopausal women and she can spit out some eggs suddenly - sometimes more than one a cycle! Many cases of fraternal twins happen to women who thought they were “past the change” only to be betrayed by their ovaries making a last screaming attempt to reproduce while they still could. Menopause, by definition, is one full year without a period, and that can only be diagnosed in retrospect. Anything before that is perimenopause which can be marked by periods of infertility and periods of \*increased \*fertility. Problem is, you don’t know which you’re in unless you’re testing your FSH every single day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-and-age/553926.md?page=1)