Baby boomers, sandwich generation, perimenopausal, middle-aged...Now there's a new term for women over 35:  "the transitional woman"...what does it mean?  It refers to the time between our reproductive years and our menopausal ones, which may be a relatively short time for the increasing number of women delaying childbearing into their 30's and 40's. 

Ironically, many women experiencing pregnancy in their 40's didn't plan to; the rate of unintended pregnancy among 40 year olds is similar to that in teenagers!  Supermodel and mother of two Rachel Hunter has chosen to speak out on this issue: 

"Women in this age group need to know they're still fertile and that birth control pills can help them".

Hunter is the spokesperson for a campaign to educate transitional women about the contraceptive and other health benefits of birth control pills.  Many women don't even know that if they don't smoke or have other risk factors, that they can safely take birth control pills until they reach menopause.  Furthermore, there are numerous health benefits unrelated to contraception from taking birth control pills.

"What impressed me the most was when my doctor informed me about the many health benefits of the pill, such as a greatly reduced risk of ovarian cancer".

In fact, taking birth control pills can reduce a woman's risk of ovarian cancer by nearly 60%!

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Created: 11/20/2000  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.