bc pills and menopause

[bikesanddogs]

I would not be too quick to assume you have gone through menopause completely yet.

My mother went through menopause at 50, and they say the best gauge of when you'll go through menopause is your mother's experience. That's what the doctor and I are basing this on (I do not have any sisters). The doctor mentioned a pregnancy risk, although as I have NEVER been pregnant, the likelihood is pretty small. Also I would most likely miscarry and I am not against abortion. I will probably use another method, but for personal reasons I'd rather not get into, sex is a rarity, and I'd have to have REALLY bad luck to get preggers.

What I'm more concerned about is how symptoms would affect my cycling and training. Although I don't have bad PMS (never have, on or off the pill), I do have digestive upset and some fatigue just before my period, which slows me down on the bike. Hoping to be rid of this in menopause, and hoping no other little problems complicate the biking. Most of the menopause books are directed to women who weren't on the pill -- the pill stops most of the perimenopause effects -- so these books are useless and don't address the question of how menopause affects performance.

[Crankin]

I went through menopause almost 6 years ago; right about the time I was going from a casual cyclist to a more intense one. I never noticed any effects on my training. I had hot flashes, but never while riding. They mostly were at work, when I was in a hot environment, or at night, when sleeping.
I just took a big drink of cool water to stop them.
The one thing it did compromise was my comfort on the saddle. After using the same one for a couple of years, the vaginal dryness started bothering me. I got a new saddle and went to my doctor who prescribed an E-string, which emits a miniscule dose of estrogen locally, only. You wear it for 3 months and then get a new one. It takes a few months for it to work, but it really works!
You might feel more tired and need a longer recovery time than previously, but that is more a function of aging than menopause.