The FSH Test As A Test For Menopause

The FSH test, which can be used as a test for menopause,is a blood test
that measures the amount of FSH or Follicle Stimulating Hormone in the
blood.

Do I Need A Lab Test For Menopause?

Usually, the answer is no. Menopause does not usually need a laboratory test to
make the diagnosis if it occurs normally. Lab tests only become
necessary whenever there is doubt about menopause or some other possible
disease causing symptoms like menopause. Diagnosing menopause in some
cases may really be challenging.

How good are lab tests in
diagnosing menopause? Because of the extreme variability of hormonal
levels between days and even within a day, there is hardly any single
test especially during perimenopause that can confidentially diagnose
menopause. Also, the lack of excellent correlation between hormonal
levels and menopause symptoms also thwarts their usefulness. Hormone
levels may be high today and low tomorrow because of their normal
variability. Therefore the best way to diagnose menopause in itself is
to watch for no menses for 12 months! FSH levels however are often used
in practice to gauge the likelihood of menopause in a woman with
doubtful symptoms.

Laboratory tests are very helpful to exclude other conditions that may present like menopause.

Menopause Tests Available

Home menopause kit

These kits measure the amount of FSH
in urine. In principle, when FSH is high, she may be in menopause. The
reliability and usefulness of these tests have been questioned. First as
said above, blood levels of FSH correlate poorly with menopause
symptoms and so does urine FSH.

These kits are not recommended for
women to use routine to check for menopause. If you have symptoms and
in doubt see your doctor. If you do not have symptoms, just sit and
wait. Time will diagnose menopause for you. The bottom line is that you
do not need a test to make the diagnosis of menopause.

There is however an FDA-approved home menopause pregnancy test kit.

The FSH test

Normally
in a menstruating woman, FSH is produced by the pituitary gland in the
head and causes growth of ovarian follicles in the ovaries. When these
follicles become exhausted at menopause, more FSH is produced to try to
make up for the loss until the levels become very high. This high
levels can then be detected as a marker of menopause.

You may
have to get it at a particular day during your cycle, like Day3 and give
repeat samples to measure variability. Each lab gives a particular
reference range which has to be used to interpret the results.

FSH
test results above 14-52 IU/L are usually used to make a diagnosis of
menopause. The doctor will interpret the test result to you based on
your specific situation.

Birth control pills, medications such as
cimetidine and digoxin as well as cigarette smoking and imagine tests
using radioactive substances like bone scans may interfere with the lab
result.

Estrogen measurement

This hormone is produced by the ovaries and will therefore be expected to reduce following menopause.

Thyroid tests

Thyroid
problems frequently affect the menstrual cycle. In some cases
therefore, the doctor may request for thyroid hormones to exclude
thyroid disease.

Other screening menopause tests

Besides diagnosing menopause, our doctor may screen you with any of the tests below

• Bone mineral density testing to check for accelerated bone loss called osteoporosis.
• Mammograms to screen for breast cancer, which increases with age.
• Pap smears screens especially for cervical cancer.

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