Help! Can't work out blood test results, brain fog not helping...

[BritabroadinAsia]

After a mess up at dr surgery I finally have long awaited blood tests for menopause back and am quite confused, hope someone here can help.

Menstrual cycle info is mostly negligible as I've used Mirena coil for past 10 years. Am 49, have experienced months of night sweats, awful brain fog, mood swings and occasional sore boobs so wanted to establish what was going on in absence of knowing about periods.

Lovely female GP instigated tests and talked about possibility of HRT but sadly subsequently left practice and results got lost. I chased and was seen by another doctor who told me I was fine and 'not post menopausal'.

I know I should have been way more assertive and asked what the implications of the specific levels were but we were also discussing other test results which took precedence, and I'm now unsure as to what to do.
Clearly a more nuanced response would have been good, but in the absence of that can anyone here better informed than me suggest whether the following indicates perimenopause, or are the levels too low/high? And if HRT might be helpful or if it's too soon?

FSH 10.5 IU/l
Oestradiol 575 pmol/L
LH 10.5 IU/L

It's a waste of time focusing on blood tets.

NICE guidelines ( 2015) state very clearly that menopausal symptoms should be the basis for treatment (HRT if no contraindications.)

The reason for this is a) blood tests in peri are inaccurate because hormone levels change so rapidly day to day b) the treatment is the same regardless unless a blood test is for something else - another disease- and shows that up.

Basically, your GP was wasting precious resources, you've got worked up about it, when the real question is 'Are meno symptoms affecting your quality of life?' and 'Do you want to try HRT?'

The only relevant test is the FSH and it is supposed to be done at a certain time in a cycle. As you don't have cycles (with the Mirena) , it's meaningless anyway. Your results show it's normal ( over 21 is edging towards peri) but another test might show something different.

You can have HRT when you have symptoms.

You do not have to be post menopause for HRT. Far from it.
HRT is used to treat peri and women post menopause. With the Mirena, youd need estrogen only which makes it really simple.

Thanks Jingling, that's a very straightforward explanation.

To be fair to first GP, the tests were more wide ranging and to determine subsequent investigation of something more serious, symptoms of which overlap menopausal symptoms to a degree.

But what I didn't get from second dr was anything useful as per your posts. I thought the discussion regarding HRT would be governed by results rather than symptoms. Second GP wasn't interested in any discussion of menopause and only in referral for other issue, which was understandable if rather unhelpful.

Anyway, thank you - I feel better informed and will do more research for myself going forward.