[Thomas the Rhymer]

(09-28-2015 10:26 AM)rpg Wrote:  

Can the birth control pill delay menopause for women in their early 40's if meopause hasnt begun yet?

Follicles naturally die off in a process called atresia. So even if the eggs are not released, they are not exactly preserved either - they still die.

Just to give you an idea of the extent of the carnage:
Human females are generally born with about 6-7 million follicles (i.e. eggs + egg shells)
By puberty, only about 400 000 have survived.
A woman will typically only menstruate about 500 times in her life, i.e. she will only have 500 ovulations.

So only about 500 of the original 7 million eggs are actually released. The rest just uselessly die off. Once they have all died, menopause starts.

So even if the ovulation process is halted through hormonal contraception, this process of dying off is not halted for the follicles.