How Does Age Affect Your Birth Control?

Medically reviewed by Sophia Yen, MD, MPH – Written by Pandia Health Editorial Team

Around 30 million women aged 40-55 were using contraception in 2017.

Over 40, pregnancies are riskier.

Sad but true: if you are over the age of 40 and you become pregnant, you have a greater risk of experiencing a spontaneous abortion. These miscarriages are mostly due to chromosomal abnormalities, hypertension, and placenta previa.
So, while it is completely fine to get pregnant at age 40 and above, it does come with a lot of risks and complications that can be prevented by – you guessed it – taking birth control!

On the plus side, older women are generally better at preventing pregnancy. Reasons are, they have more years of experience using various methods of contraception and they have less sex than young folks.
Basically, establishing a routine use of birth control = no babies.
And if you start taking birth control now, you can learn more about what methods work for you. You’ll be better prepared even later on in life to prevent pregnancy!

Now, none of us like the thought of getting older. But let’s face it: as you get age, your body starts doing crazy things it has never done before. Like hypertension, which is a condition that can make it unsafe to be on birth control. Make sure you get your blood pressure checked and speak to your doctor if it is too high.

But generally, there is no reason to stop having sex just because you’re getting older! And if you’re not trying to get pregnant, it’s a good idea to continue taking some form of contraception.

Birth control helps with perimenopause symptoms

Although preventing pregnancy is the main reason women use birth control, those in the 40 to 55 age bracket may also be using it to help treat symptoms of perimenopause.
Perimenopause happens when your estrogen levels begin to fluctuate. This comes with quite inconvenient things like irregular periods, heavier bleeding, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings.
Taking birth control can really help in this time of hormonal transition: as it regulates the ups and downs of your hormones, it makes you feel way better!

Interested in being on birth control but don’t have time to get to the pharmacy? Join the Pandia Health community and get your birth control delivered for free right to your front door!

The above information is for general informational purposes only and is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor/primary care provider before starting or changing treatment.