Contraception and Pregnancy in Midlife: Complexities and Research Needs

Contraception and Pregnancy in Midlife: Complexities and Research Needs

Although fertility declines substantially by age 45, many women remain at risk of pregnancy into their fifties. Addressing the contraceptive needs, and in some cases infertility needs of women in the midlife is  critical, given the health risks of unintended and desired late life pregnancies.  As well, increases in chronic conditions may contraindicate some contraceptive choices. This thematic series highlights key questions facing women and clinicians regarding pregnancy and contraceptive choices, risks and benefits during the midlife and the menopausal transition while also outlining research needs given gaps in scientific knowledge.

This thematic series is ongoing and new manuscripts will be added upon acceptance.

1. Content Type:Research

   Bone mineral density in midlife long-term users of hormonal contraception in South Africa: relationship with obesity and menopausal status

   In South Africa, hormonal contraception is widely used in women over the age of 40 years. One of these methods and the most commonly used is depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) which has been found to hav...

   Authors:Mags E. Beksinska, Immo Kleinschmidt and Jenni A. Smit

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2018 4:6

   Published on: 10 April 2018

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2. Content Type:Review

   Contraception pathway: application for midlife women

   To create a system where evidence based medicine can be applied to accommodate every woman’s needs by designing a contraceptive pathway that can be utilized by any healthcare provider, regardless of the patien...

   Authors:Chi-Son Kim, Deanna Tikhonov, Lena Merjanian and Adrian C. Balica

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2017 3:10

   Published on: 24 October 2017

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3. Content Type:Commentary

   Unintended pregnancy: a framework for prevention and options for midlife women in the US

   Recently unintended pregnancies have been described as "a new kind of mid-life crisis." Given the high prevalence of unwanted or mistimed pregnancy in the US, we examined the sexual and reproductive health pat...

   Authors:Versie Johnson-Mallard, Elizabeth A. Kostas-Polston, Nancy Fugate Woods, Katherine E. Simmonds, Ivy M. Alexander and Diana Taylor

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2017 3:8

   Published on: 15 September 2017

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4. Content Type:Editorial

   Contraception for midlife women: lack of information? Lack of interest? Lack of investment?

   Despite the growing population of midlife women in the USA and in other economically-advantaged countries, there is scant research focusing on this population, especially regarding contraceptive choices in tho...

   Authors:Nancy Fugate Woods and Gloria Bachmann

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2017 3:7

   Published on: 13 September 2017

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5. Content Type:Commentary

   Contraceptive preferences and unmet need for contraception in midlife women: where are the data?

   This commentary discusses the limited availability of information on contraceptive preferences and unmet need for contraception among midlife women in both high and low income countries. Given that risk of pre...

   Authors:Siobán D. Harlow, Jennifer R. Dusendang, Michelle M. Hood and Nancy Fugate Woods

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2017 3:6

   Published on: 11 September 2017

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6. Content Type:Review

   Contraception and conception in Mid-life: a review of the current literature

   In the United States, there are an increasing number of couples who are intentionally delaying child-bearing. As the average age of mothers continues to rise, more and more women are being faced with the diffi...

   Authors:Kristin Van Heertum and James Liu

   Citation:Women's Midlife Health 2017 3:3

   Published on: 16 August 2017

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