Can you get pregnant during perimenopause?

Yes — you can absolutely get pregnant during perimenopause. As long as you're still having periods (even irregular ones), you're still ovulating at least sometimes, and pregnancy is possible.

This catches many women out. Fertility does decline in your forties, and cycles become unpredictable — but “less fertile” is not “infertile.” You can still release an egg in any given month, often without warning, because ovulation in perimenopause is erratic rather than absent. Pregnancies do happen at this stage, both wanted and unplanned.

You're only considered no longer fertile once menopause is confirmed — and the usual guidance is to keep using contraception until 12 months after your last period if you're over 50, or 24 months if you're under 50, because periods can stop and then briefly return.

What to do: if you don't want to become pregnant, keep using contraception through perimenopause until you've passed that period-free window — don't assume irregular cycles mean you're safe. (Some hormonal contraceptives can also mask perimenopause symptoms, which is worth discussing.) And if you do hope to conceive in your forties, speak to your doctor sooner rather than later, since timing matters more now. Either way, talk to your GP about the right option for your age and stage.