Testing for premenopause

[DazedandConfusedat39]

I've seen it stated many times that there is no official test to determine if someone is in perimenopause as hormone levels fluctuate so much on a daily basis; so equally how can anyone be certain that they aren't in perimenopause and are in fact still in premenopause? Or are all over 35yos probably in perimenopause and are just in denial?

Social media has convinced me that any ailment in the over 35s is probably contributable to the perimenopause so how do I know if actually my low mood and fatigue is caused by burnout and a really stressful last 5 years or if it is hormonal? How do I know if my cystitis like symptoms are due to vaginal atrophy or I've developed OAB from stress and abusing caffeine tablets?

Or if oestrogen doesn't improve your symptoms, does that mean that you most likely weren't perimenopausal? I guess the only way to know for sure is when they develop continuous hormone monitors!

How old are you?

35 is young to have peri symptoms. I'd ignore social media and haven't actually seen it say anything about '0ver 35'!

Don't forget that the average age of menopause is 51. Many women start to have symptoms in their mid-late 40s but they can be very mild. Some women have no peri symptoms and only start to have symptoms once their periods stop.

If you've got bladder issues, the best thing to do first is stop the caffeine. Time will tell. If it's not that, see your GP and discuss it. Vaginal estrogen will work if that's what's needed.

When I started experiencing symptoms I went to the GP, ruled out anything else that could be affecting my periods, sleep and memory and concluded the only thing left was perimenopause. Don't be fobbed off by age related push back - I'm 38 and have been told I'm years off but there just isn't anything else it could be! I used a couple of apps to record changes in my cycles and sleep and my doc now agrees with me

Bloods can be used as part of a diagnosis for premature ovarian insufficiency/failure but it needs to be repeated tests over a period of months. It's more that bloods can't be used to rule peri out as the cause of symptoms eg you can be in peri and have months where your FSH etc is within normal range, FSH on day 3 in a premenopausal woman is under ten, I had levels from 90+, 40-50s, the teens and 1 under ten over a number of months so if you were to look at just one month you could have told me I was pre, peri or post menopausal

Why do you need to know? I'm 59. Periods (random) restarted properly at 48 and then stopped at 56. Never saw a doctor or had a test. You just get on with things.

Assuming the OP is 39 from her username and post (but she's not come back since September so may have found the answers.)

So if she is 39, and her periods were to stop before 40, that's classed as POI (premature ovarian insufficiency or premature menopause.) It is a medical condition that's treated with HRT to prevent bone loss, heart disease and dementia later down the line.

@DazedandConfusedat39 You can have more tests as a PP says and also try HRT which if it helps, proves the point.

Because if her low mood and fatigue are due to dropping hormones she has a choice to try and remedy it by trying HRT? She doesn't have to just put up with it

Should we ignore routine tests and check ups for chronic conditions next?

In an ideal world we’d all have fluffy gp’s answering questions on hrt but in reality if you are a gp who hasn’t the wish to take hrt what sort of response do you think someone gets on what one hours training in quite possibly their entire career.

I really would want to believe the whole testing doesn’t happen but when you hear of women suffering fibroids just a few years younger who are given every test or again people your own age given every test under the sun when they can’t get the same instant access to hrt I was just handed, you start to wonder.