‘Be careful’: Andrea McLean warns mums that she got pregnant after menopause

Beware 'the change'.

If you're approaching middle age or have started to go through menopause, you might think you're in the clear for having any more babies. But mum-of-two Andrea McLean has revealed that she thought the same - until she found herself pregnant after starting the menopause. Hers hit at the relatively early age of 37, she told ITV's Lorraine Kelly this morning. "I was 37 when the hot sweats started, mainly at night. I was like what? "I got pregnant shortly afterwards – there is a rush of hormones afterwards and you need to be really careful around that time." The menopause brings irregular periods (as well as a host of other symptoms), but that doesn't mean you can't get pregnant. According to Healthline, you aren't actually considered menopausal until your periods have stopped for a year. Women can mistake perimenopause (a transitional time when you produce less estrogen and progesterone) for actual menopause, so it's worth talking to your doctor about contraception if you're starting to go through it and don't want any more children. Andrea, who's now 48, had a full hysterectomy two years ago and felt the full effects of it, she added. "When I had my hysterectomy in 2016, I nosedived off the cliff and went full on menopausal," she said.