Contraceptives for the over 40s
FORTY is the new 20, or so they say. By this time women are expected to have had out their “lot”, and if they haven’t, would have probably decided against having children. Some women believe that after 40 or 50 there is no need for contraceptives anymore because they can no longer get pregnant. Wrong!
At a time when your children may be in high school or university, a time when you are making more effort to save for retirement, an unplanned pregnancy should be the last thing making you worry. Although your chances of getting pregnant lowers with age, up to 80 per cent of women in the their 40s are still fertile. Even women who are pre-menopausal still have a chance. It is only after 12 consecutive months without a period that a woman would be considered menopausal. So maybe 40 is really the new 20.
A study conducted in the United States found that women in their late 30s and early 40s who were sexually active thought that because they were not getting pregnant, they were infertile. The truth is, they were just lucky. The latest report from the Registrar General’s Department in 2014 found that almost four per cent of births that year were to women over the age of 40 (that was a total of 1,318 women). Thirty-three of these births were to women having their 10th, 11th, 12th or 13th children.
When deciding on a contraceptive at this point in your life, the main question to ask yourself is, do I want a child or more children?
If the answer is yes, you should choose a reversible form of contraception. These include the pill, the injection, vaginal rings, patches, the implant, or the intra-uterine device (IUD). Healthy women over 40 can safely use any of these. It is important, however, to get clearance from a doctor in the case of issues with the heart or blood pressure, as these methods release hormones into the body.
Women should also consider using a condom along with their choice of contraceptive method in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
If the answer to the question above is no, you may want to consider something more permanent. Female sterilisation (tubal ligation or “tie off”) is the most common form of contraception among women over 40 in most countries. According to the 2008 Reproductive Health Survey, approximately 10 per cent of Jamaican women in stable unions were sterilised, and the average age of women in Jamaica who opt for sterilisation was approximately 31 years.
Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure where a surgeon makes a small incision through the abdomen and blocks the tubes with a ring, or clips them shut. This way, sperm cannot get to the egg. This procedure is quick, safe, and very effective in preventing pregnancy.
Sterilisation is 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy. It can reduce the burden of continuously using short-acting contraceptive methods like the pill, which has to be taken every day.
Of course, there is one other option too. Women don’t always have to be the ones carrying the burden of contraception. Vasectomy (male sterilisation) is also a very popular option worldwide for men or couples who do not wish to have (any more) children.
Call the NFPB, visit a clinic, or talk to your doctor today about your options.
