Blood test for Menopause

[dottypotter]

My periods have stopped im on the pill. I am early 50's. I asked my doctor do i need to still take the pill daily. I was told to go for a blood test to see if i had started the menopause. If i had i dont need to take the pill anymore she said.

I am not keen on needles do i have to have this test. Surely i would know if i had started the menopause wouldnt I. I forgot to ask her that.

One blood test isn’t going to tell you anything.

When you say you are on the pill. What kind of pill, progesterone only or combined?

progesterone only i think havent checked for a while.

Do i need this blood test doctor said depending on the result i will then know whether to keep taking the pill or not?

The progesterone pill might well have stopped your periods even if you aren’t menopausal.

Typically you need more than one blood test weeks apart to get a good picture of your hormones.
In the perimenopause hormone levels can fluctuate wildly. So you should have at least two tests spaced weeks apart to indicate whether you are perimenopausal or if you’ve been through the menopause.

Have you nay symptoms of menopause- hot flushes, night sweats, etc?

If the pill is for contraception, you can stop using it and use another method such as condoms and see if your periods come back.

I'd def not rely on blood tests- they are not used to show menopause as they are inaccurate.

A blood test would tell them your level of FSH hormone, which is an indicator of menopause. But I think coming off the pill and seeing if you get a period is an easy option

A blood test would tell them your level of FSH hormone
@Riverviews
It would tell them the FSH level on that day. In peri the FSH level can change daily as hormones surge and fall very quickly. This is why a blood test is not accurate. The real test is no periods for at least 12 months.
I had a high FSH level (showing I was post menopause) while I was having regular periods and went on to have periods for another 18 months.

It would tell them the FSH level on that day.

I didn't know that. Thank you

I went for a pill check this morning -progesterone only...was also asked if I had any menopause symptoms.. apart from some weight gain (which could also be the result of a change to other medication)
The Nurse Practitioner also said I could have the blood test, but also said she saw no reason to rock the boat if I wasnt having menopause symptoms.... my periods stopped when I started taking this pill about 4yrs ago..
I declined the blood test for now. From what I've read and heard it doesnt give a definite result one way or the other, and depends on your hormone level on the day.

It amazes me that so many HCP are not aware of or following the Nice meno guidelines.

When they were published 4 years ago, they are seen as the definitive way to treat menopause after years of poor treatment.

Every single HCP will have 50% patients who go through menopause. It's nothing short of a disgrace that they appear not to have read these guidelines.

The guidelines were all over the media when they came out- daytime TV, women's mags, websites for women, broadsheet newspapers. You'd have to be living under a rock not to see them.

It is so depressing that this forum is full of women whose drs or nurses ignore or have not read these.

Blood tests are not needed. They give false positives and false negatives. They are a waste of NHS cash.

I don't know if nurses and drs feel they are being'kind' to offer them, or are simply out of touch.

These are the guidelines NICE menopause diagnosis
1.2 Diagnosis of perimenopause and menopause
1.2.1 Diagnose the following without laboratory tests in otherwise healthy women aged over 45 years with menopausal symptoms:

perimenopause based on vasomotor symptoms and irregular periods

menopause in women who have not had a period for at least 12 months and are not using hormonal contraception

menopause based on symptoms in women without a uterus.

1.2.2 Take into account that it can be difficult to diagnose menopause in women who are taking hormonal treatments, for example for the treatment of heavy periods.

1.2.3 Do not use the following laboratory and imaging tests to diagnose perimenopause or menopause in women aged over 45 years:

anti-Müllerian hormone

inhibin A

inhibin B

oestradiol

antral follicle count

ovarian volume.

1.2.4 Do not use a serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test to diagnose menopause in women using combined oestrogen and progestogen contraception or high-dose progestogen.

what is the best thing to do i dont want this test if i dont need it.

to add i dont have periods. I dont want to come off the pill unless its safe i dont have any symptoms of menopause that i know of.

Medical advice is that you continue to use birth control to age 54 or for one year after periods stop (if you are 50+.)

You don't have many choices.

Either you carry on with the POP for a few more years or you stop it, use another form of birth control till you are 54 and in the meantime see if your periods come back.

Would it be too awful to use another method such as condoms for a year to see if you still have periods?

I've decided to stop the POP, just to see where my body is at...afterall, I could be taking the pill unnecessarily if my periods have stopped...

Thanks for advice. I did not attend the blood test there didnt seem much point.

Super interesting as I’m in the same dilemma. I’m on cerazette POP and have been since 2014 for massive blood loss, and to that end it has certainly worked. However, I feel progesterone overloaded but that could be in my head. I have thought about coming of the POP to see where I am at but am absolutely terrified I’ll start haemorrhaging again. I mean, it was so bad, I couldn’t leave the house, would pass out with pain. My FSH has been tracked in last 6 months going from 33 to 47 to 65 which gives me hope I’m on my way. I do know they are not definitive. I’m 51, having symptoms for about 6 years, getting incrementally worse.