Here is a helpful set of steps to take:
- Discuss getting on the National Institutes of Health physiologic HRT regimen (NIH P-HRT). This will give you regular menstrual cycles so you will know to get a pregnancy test if a cycle is late. The best evidence suggests you should not take birth control pills for your HRT. These change your cervical mucus and lining of your womb to be hostile to fertilization and implantation.
- Because your chances to conceive are less than normal, it’s important to remember that if you do conceive, you want to maximize your chances of a healthy pregnancy. Discuss your general health with your provider and attend to the necessary recommendations for preconception health.
- Plan to make intercourse fun, and have intercourse two or three times a week. This will assure there will always be sperm present for the occasional ovulation women with POI experience. (Published evidence suggests on average women with POI have a 50 percent chance of ovulating sometime during the next year, but you cannot tell when the ovulation will occur.)
- Keep a menstrual calendar, and get a pregnancy test if your period is late. Set a reasonable time to try to conceive before moving on to other solutions. This is a personal decision; many women and their partners are comfortable trying to conceive for several years before looking into egg donation, adoption, or other solutions to help them expand their family.
