Risk Pregnancy in premature menopause?

[ukresident]

I  am male 35 years old. Recently I had unprotected sex ( 3 times in 1 day) with a 40 year old lady who has previously been diagnosed with premature menopause, no specific cause found for the same. She has periodic bleeding. She had a previous long term relationship,( 5 years) with no children.
She is now on HRT , with patches, started about 2-3 months before the intercourse.

1.Is there any significant risk of pregnancy , given the fact that she may not be producing eggs?
2.Is there any statistics regarding the same ?
3.If we want to be sure, whats the earliest time that a urine pregnancy test can be done and how frequently should this be repeated to be absolutely sure?

Many thanks

[belle0126]

A related discussion, tubal ligations and odds of getting pregnant was started.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Normally, under ideal circumstances, the probability that a woman will get pregnant during a single menstrual cycle is only about 30% and pregnancy from a single act of unprotected intercourse is just 8% on an average. Women with premature ovarian failure have only a 5 - 10% chance to conceive without fertility treatments(as compared to normal 30%) and with a single act of intercourse, the number is even less. Although there is no data or percentage which describes the odds of your girlfriend getting pregnant but the chances are really really bleak.

Although the chances are really bleak, but till the urine for pregnancy test or serum HCG test comes out negative, it is difficult to confirm.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.

[ukresident]

Thanks for the reply.
Not very keen on the pregnancy, so just wanted to know the odds.

I read somewhere that the odds of pregnancy following a single act of intercourse assuming normal fertility/ovulation is 3-5 %. Wouldn't this be reduced significantly in POF. If so what are the odds/percentages?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Thanks for writing in the forum. I will try answering your questions one by one. First of all if your girlfriend has achieved premature menopause (or premature ovarian failure (POF), then also chances of pregnancy are there; although very bleak. During menopause (average age 51), there are no follicles which can produce eggs. But in premature menopause (average age is late 20’s), the follicles which produce eggs are still there but they are dysfunctioning.Hormone replacement therapy which your girlfriend is already taking has helped many such women achieve pregnancy.

According to American pregnancy association, 8% of women with POF who have conceived were using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).So possibility of pregnancy cannot be completely ignored.

Thirdly, ideally the urine for pregnancy test should be done after 1 week of the expected periods date. Most chemical tests for pregnancy look for the presence of the beta subunit of hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. hCG can be detected in urine after implantation of zygote in the wall of the uterus formed by the union of the sperm & the ovum, which occurs six to twelve days after fertilization. Nowadays highly sensitive pregnancy kits are available which can detect hCG levels at as low as 20 mIU and after 7 days post fertilization. I sincerely suggest you to consult a gynecologist and get urine for pregnancy test or serum hCG levels done to confirm the status of your girlfriend’s pregnancy.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.