Menopause test

A menopause test is a blood test that measures the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in your blood. When oestrogen levels decline, it can lead to a rise in FSH, which can be a sign of menopause.

A menopause test alone cannot tell you if you are in menopause – it is used to help inform you, as FSH levels fluctuate. Your doctor will use a combination of factors, including your age, when your last period was, and a more extensive blood test, to confirm menopause.

Perimenopause starts in your 40s. It is a time before the menopause when your ovaries begin to make less oestrogen. A menopause test is not enough on its own to diagnose if you are in perimenopause. Still, it can help to inform if perimenopause is happening in people who have had a period in the last 12 months and are having menopause symptoms, such as:

• hot flushes
• night sweats
• disturbed sleep
• mood swings
• brain fog

When it comes to interpreting your test results, it is generally advised to be careful, as sometimes you may be experiencing perimenopause, but due to fluctuating hormone levels, your test results may come back negative. That’s why your doctor will also consider other factors, such as your age, menstrual history, and symptoms, to confirm if you are perimenopausal.

The menopause test is a useful tool for people aged 40 to 45 years old who are experiencing menopausal symptoms. These include:

• hot flushes
• night sweats
• thinning hair
• dryness of the skin
• irregular or infrequent periods
• dryness of the vagina
• lower sex drive
• changes in mood
• weight gain

A menopause test can also be helpful for people over 50 who are using progesterone-only contraception and not having periods, to help confirm if they need to keep taking it.

The menopause test looks at FSH hormone levels, and these can be affected by some medications, so it is not recommended to take one if you are using the combined contraceptive pill or are already receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

People older than 45 who have not had a period in over 12 months and are not using hormonal contraception can be confident that they are in post menopause and do not need to take the test.

Generally, a menopause test will detect raised levels of FSH, but it does not directly check for menopause or perimenopause. A positive result, an elevated level of FSH, can be a sign that your ovaries are slowing down the production of oestrogen, which may mean that you are entering the menopause.

However, FSH levels fluctuate during your menstrual cycle, so it does not definitely mean that you are going through menopause, but that your FSH levels show that you could be. A negative result means your FSH levels are not at a level usually associated with menopause, but there’s a chance that your levels were fluctuating at the time of the test, so it’s important to still speak to a doctor if you’re having menopause symptoms.

If you have a positive FSH menopause test result, it means that you could be experiencing menopause. You should speak to your doctor, as they can run further tests to diagnose menopause. If you feel that your symptoms are affecting your daily life and are difficult to manage, you can also discuss treatment options with your doctor.

It is important to remember that these tests are not 100% accurate, so you should continue to use any contraceptives until you speak to your doctor to make sure you are not putting yourself at risk of pregnancy.

Most commonly, symptoms of the menopause are treated with HRT, which is used to increase the levels of hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone, that decrease as you go through the menopause. Symptoms can also be treated non-hormonally. If you have received a positive menopause test result, our doctors will advise you on possible treatments moving forward.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

HRT comes as either oestrogen-only HRT or combined HRT, and in a few different doses and forms. Your doctor can help you find the right one for you to help improve your symptoms. Oestrogen HRT can come as:

• tablets
• skin patches
• implants
• a gel or spray

For people who have a womb (uterus), you will also need to take progesterone to help protect the womb lining from the oestrogen effects. This is called combined HRT. Progesterone comes in the form of:

• tablets, with or without oestrogen
• a progesterone-releasing coil
• patches, with or without oestrogen

HRT cannot help all symptoms. If you have symptoms like a low sex drive, you may be offered testosterone treatment. This normally comes as a gel or a cream and helps to improve sex drive, mood, and energy levels. It is not usually given to women, but can be prescribed after the menopause by some doctors.

Some of the HRT options we offer at Asda Online Doctor include:

Oral tablets

HRT tablets are taken every day and include:

• Elleste Duet Conti
• Kliovance
• Kliofem
• tibolone
• Femoston conti
• Veoza

Skin patches

Skin patches are a good way to deliver hormones into the body without needing to remember a daily pill. They include:

• Evorel Conti
• Estradot patches, which must be taken alongside Utrogestan (progesterone) capsules

Vaginal creams and tablets

Vaginal creams and tablets act locally, which means they are useful if you experience vaginal symptoms, such as dryness or irritation. Examples include:

• Ovestin
• Estriol
• Vagirux

Non-hormonal

If you do not want to, or cannot, take hormones to help with your symptoms, there are non-hormonal treatments available. These include:

• a blood pressure medication called clonidine or an epilepsy medication called gabapentin, to help treat hot flushes and night sweats
• antidepressants for low mood, anxiety and depression
• vaginal moisturisers for vaginal dryness
• lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and quitting smoking