Where can I get a private blood test from to test my levels of oestrogen?

[ChocChipOwl]

Just that really! I'd like to know what my levels currently are. I'm nearly 51 so I suppose I should be right in the throes of it all and maybe I am? It's hard for me to tell as my periods are regular and I have no hot flushes

Anyway, I'm toying with taking HRT for other little issues which could be peri menopause related but before I do, I'm keen to know what my levels are

Can anyone recommend somewhere decent and trustworthy? Thanks

The difficulty with blood tests for peri is the fact that it's characterised by hormone fluctuations so testing isn't really very meaningful. At 51 it is highly likely that you are in some stage of peri - sometimes the easiest way to find out is to try HRT and see if it makes a difference to your symptoms.

Medichecks are good. I've used them for other tests.

@UnaOfStormhold I have HRT and am err too scared to take it

Mainly because I feel fine on the whole! I can occasionally feel a bit stiff or have a spot of poor sleeping and I think 'god do I need HRT?' Or I feel a bit anxious and wonder if that's a symptom, when on reality it's because I'm worried about something going on, just as I always have done

I think I just wanted to know for sure that my oestrogen was depleting and that way, I'd feel I was taking HRT for a reason and not just because Davina McCall had almost convinced me that I should!

That's a good point about it fluctuating though and knowing me, I'd probably test when it was higher

@Noln thanks. I will have a look at them

It’s a pointless test in this scenario
So anywhere private that agrees to take your cash is unethical

Either take it for symptoms or take it without symptoms because you are happy with the evidence for its other benefits eg bone density and heart disease and are prepared to accept any possible negatives eg breast cancer risk (or blood clots if having oral oestrogen rather than patch). Breast cancer risks are variable depending on type.

You really don’t need a test.

if you think it might help, try HRT. 🙂

This.

NICE guidelines state that HRT should be given on symptoms alone at your age.

Nice clinical guidelines state that for a woman over 45 no blood tests are needed before starting HRT because levels fluctuate so much and if you have symptoms you can take HRT as chances are you’re in need of it. (They recommended blood tests for under 45 simply to exclude other conditions). At 51 you are almost certainly menopausal and even without symptoms you would benefit from HRT as it will help to protect your bones and heart long term, and also reduce bowel cancer risk.

I am 41 and have been on HRT since I was 37 due to autoimmune issues causing early menopause.

@Afterfire some women don't reach the menopause until 55/56.

I am just sharing the NICE guidelines which go on the assumption that the average age is 51/52. Some women will be earlier - like me - and some later.

Blood taste aren't recommended unless under 45. Treatment should be based on symptoms.
Have a look at the Balance website and Dr Newson.

www.balance-menopause.com/balance-app/

www.facebook.com/groups/384849495215750/?ref=share

I agree, private health care will happily take your money, ethical or not. Problems in private health are disproportionately affect women eg Ian Paterson's victims.

You don't just get a blood test, you need someone to interpret it. So you can pay for a private menopause consultation and if they think bloods are necessary (and they often aren't), then they will arrange a test and interpret it.

But if I have understood rightly and you're 51 and not on HRT then it would be a complete waste of time and any doctor who agreed to do it for you is probably just aftery our money.....

I'd just try a low dose of hrt and see how you go. A low dose will certainly iron out some of those symptoms.

It will support your bones and vascular system.

You would be able to get a test on the nhs after you've been on it a while to see if you need more or not, though it's best done on symptoms. There's a level above which they like it for bone density (iirc over 120 or around there) and another higher level one for mood (400-600)

You need to give it a good 3 months. It can make you a little buzzy at first sometimes. Others just feel great! I had crazy dreams and early waking for a few weeks when I first started and after a dose rise.

@WarriorN can I ask what would constitute the lowest possible dose? I have it prescribed for I believe 1 pump of the gel and the utrogestan every day for a fortnight. Something like that!

I'm not menopausal I don't think. I will be perimenopausal of course but I wonder sometimes if I try and get symptoms to 'fit'

The real change is my periods. For the past five years they've been heavy whereas I've had decades of not knowing I had one really! But they're as regular as ever and still last just 6 days

I sometimes feel tired. I sometimes feel stiff. I sometimes have some sleep issues. My hair is thinning but then, I've had that for the past 12 years on a cyclical basis!

So I wonder if I'm trying to get things to fit.

I want to take HRT and feel confident in taking it. Objectively I know that my oestrogen levels must be lower now - I just hoped I could take a test that definitively said 'yes, top up your oestrogen!'

Maybe I'm in denial and should just take the HRT

Menopause is actually one day a year after your last period. Up to ten year prior to this Perimenopausal and after this is Postmenopausal.

My periods went like that but I was much younger, 38 iirc. Never really knew I had one!

I'm on patches so it would be 25; possibly one pump is the equivalent?

I've read it's best to start the oestrogen first for a couple of weeks to establish if it helps symptoms before you do the progesterone part.

@cleowasmycat true! And you have your one day and that's it. Menopause completed!

I'm a way off that I think. Periods regular, still a 28 day cycle

@WarriorN I really would prefer not to use the utrogestan but understand you have to take it to keep the womb lining thin?

Yes it's needed - it can help some sleep though. I have been taking it vaginally however to avoid any side effects. Exactly the same dose and regime.

It's not licensed in the the U.K. like that but the BMS approve it and it is in other parts of the world.

I may try switching to orally again though as I'm on a higher patch now

(To help sleep)

My own Gp reckoned vaginally was better for bleeding however, but I've not seen that anywhere else. It's recommended when women find the side effects too much.