Dutch test or other hormone test for post menopause

[kizziee]

I have posted before about severe anxiety / depression relapse.
(Hasn't just appeared in menopause - had on and off for number of years but had been well mentally during peri.)
Now 2 years after last period and 53.
Have increased dose of ADs back up.
Seem about the Dutch test to get an idea of where things actually are for me but is it actually useful. (And if so has anyone got any recommendations of people who do it.)
Or would I be better off with blood tests?

There is no point in blood tests , or a Dutch test, and the labs that are offering these are making a fortune out of women's desperation.

You are now post menopause.

What would you like a blood test to show?

Has your dr not suggested HRT instead of antidepressants? This is 1st line treatment, not ADs.

I’ve never heard of it? Being post menopause is 12 months of no menses.
have your menses stopped?

Me neither except on here a while ago so I looked it up! Seems nothing to do with Holland but just a name given to a blood test! It's a load of nonsense, to be honest, as lots of the tests in the Dutch test will be inaccurate anyway ( as hormones fluctuate ) and there is a lot of pseudoscience on their site. And it costs about £400!

If you have that to spare @kizziee make an appt with a menopause consultant (not a GP but a proper consultant gynaecologist) and they will help you.

Rather interesting that the person doing the research (Mark Newman) into dried urine (which they use) compared to traditional blood tests, is actually working for the company! In 'competing interests' at the end of the research paper on their website.

Competing interests

Mark Newman is the founder, president, and owner of Preciaion Analytical Inc. Desmond A. Curran is an employee of Precision Analytical. Precision Analytical, Inc. is a commercial laboratory ofering hormone testing to medical practitioners and individuals. All statistics were calculated and interpreted by an independent agent.

Spelling and typos above are theirs !

@JinglingSpringbells do you think women having coils, and other tx that suppress their cycles causes added confusion to the peri/meno/post timeline?

Thank you for the feedback on the tests that's really useful.
In answer to the questions. It's two years since my last period. In terms of what hoping to get from hormone tests ... I'm not sure really - I suppose just to confirm that everything is now very low (?)
Re. GP - she is very pro HRT - the reason for the ADs is because I have had long term mh issues since pnd. I can be completely fine for years. (As in really fine - busy / happy job life etc.) But then get completely poleaxed out of the blue with anxiety / panic / depression.
Had lots of counselling etc and no-one has ever found a 'reason.' Not able to work / function.
ADs are the only things that have worked in past - even though I really wish I didn't have to take them.

@kizziee why not try HRT in conjunction with the AD's and see if it helps.
two years no period and so you are post menopausal.
the hormone levels though still fluctuate a bit. as the body works hard to create estrogen from other sources.
i did not take hrt and wish i had if not for the bone health aspect alone.
i take multivits and do my best to eat clean (as little process added foods as possible), exercise and drink my 2L of water.

@greenspaces4peace that's currently what I'm considering to be honest. Not taking ADs isn't an option (I completely understand that the guidance for someone presenting new with anxiety / depression in peri or menopause is HRT rather than ADs but this a longer term issue for me and it would be dangerous for me to stop.
The concern is that when I'm in such a vulnerable mental state is this the time to introduce something which works so well for many people but 'can' have mental health side effects for some.
It all feels like a very precarious balancing act.
My GP (who is very proactive with HRT) has suggested that we wait for a couple of months to see if things settle slightly and then try and introduce HRT slowly. I think that's probably the best option - but there is so much publicity and info now saying that HRT is the answer and I just do desperately want to get well again.

@kizziee your dr’s plans sound reasonable two months will fly by, how long has it already been?
while you wait out this time are there some healthy lifestyle changes you can focus on?

I don't know. It's pretty well established that post menopause is 12 months without a natural period, although if someone has a Mirena coil or is using hormonal contraception, that can make it harder to know.
The medics say that by 54, 80% of women are post meno, and the rest usually by 56.

The concern is that when I'm in such a vulnerable mental state is this the time to introduce something which works so well for many people but 'can' have mental health side effects for some.It all feels like a very precarious balancing act.

Not all women find that HRT has side effects.
It's sad that this seems to be the main topic often here, when in RL, many women are absolutely fine on HRT.
I've not had any issues with it other than a bit of PMS (nowhere near what I had when fertile) during that time of the HRT cycle.

I think you should go with your dr's advice.

Obviously I don't know your medical history but there are some consultants like the late Prof John Studd who would regard a lot of MH issues to be hormone-driven [[https://www.studd.co.uk/depression.php

Thank you for for the comments about the GP advice.
I think you're right - and it's the right way to go.
Two months feels like a lifetime at the moment because every day is so difficult. (Very difficult to function at times - complete opposite of my well self.)
But I think it probably is the right answer.
In the meantime I'll do all the usual
Self help things. Unfortunately they don't really have much impact for me (I live my life that way anyway) but it gives me something to focus on and makes me feel like I'm taking some kind of control.

@JinglingSpringbells thank you for the link. I've read quite a lot of Professor Studds research over the years. (I actually tried to get an appointment with him when I had pnd but a couple of celebrities had just spoken about their treatment with him and he had a v long waiting list.)