Home » Blogs » Carlin Ross's blog

What is the Best Birth Control for Women Over 50?

Sat, 04/09/2011 - 13:07
Submitted by Carlin Ross

Well Betty I have followed you for some time now and love you!..love you!..and Carlin!...and now after reading so many others questions, I now have one of my own..okay so you have been 50-menopause-etc..what is the best birth control method for a women over 50?....

Dear Anon,

If you are still having your period you could technically get pregnant. As we get closer to menopause, we are less likely to conceive but we've all heard about the accidental change of life baby. This is not much information to go on like what were you using in the past? I was always in love with my diaphragm but stopped menstruating on my 50th birthday. If you have multiple partners, perhaps a condom would be safest especially if the guy uses a cock ring to anchor it. Just a side bar, the partnersex I had in my 70's was some of the best. So continue to enjoy your sexuality.

Dr. Betty

Sex, Politics & More Sex

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Birth Control

arsvenustatis's picture
Mon, 04/11/2011 - 05:56
arsvenustatis

If you do not have a situation like multiple sex partners I would suggest a non hormonal IUD.  IUDs have someone of a bad reputation for women of my mothers generation (the 50 somethings) because when they were younger there were a few bad IUDs on the market that sometimes wouldn't work or they  would cause the women great discomfort but that is not really the case these days.  I would suggest looking into a copper IUD such as a paraguard, and like always, remember that IUDs and B/C pills do not guard against sexually transmitted diseases.  
p.s.  IUDs can last up to ten years as effected birth control.  

Not an IUD!

Tue, 04/26/2011 - 02:14
DrThomas (not verified)

As a gynecologic oncologist I would argue against the IUD for several reasons. First, as mentioned, it is designed to provide years of birth control, which, given your age, will not be necessary.  Average age at menopause is 49.  Secondly, it can cause irregular bleeding, particularly after menopause is reached and the lower estrogen levels result in a thinner endometrium.  Postmenopausal bleeding is an important sign for endometrial cancer, which we are often able to diagnose, treat and cure due to it's natural "early warning system" - a woman who suddenly bleeds after 5 years of menopause tends to get it checked out - but an IUD could cloud this picture.  Irregular postmenopausal bleeding could (a) be misinterpreted as due to the IUD and ignored, or (b) not ignored, resulting in unnecessary endometrial biopsies (not real fun, as best as I can tell from my end of the table).  Better alternatives would be your standard issue low-dose combination birth control, the progestin only "minipill", or condoms.  Condom use is particularly recommended if multiple parters are likely.  Plus, the cost of the IUD is rather high compared to the other options.  Honestly, as a younger doctor I don't have much experience with diaphragms.  They are associated with a higher failure rate than birth control, but are fairly effective if used properly.  Hope that helps. Oh, and that all being said, IUD's in general are a TERRIFIC birth control method, just in a slightly different patient population.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.