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Menopause

How do doctors diagnose menopause?

Your doctor will carefully consider the symptoms you are having.

Your doctor will be able to say for certain that you have been through menopause only when you haven't had a period for 12 months.

Source:
Greendale GA, Lee NP, Arriola ER.
The menopause.
Lancet. 1999; 353: 571-580.

He or she might ask you questions about your symptoms to make sure that there is nothing else that could be causing them. And, of course, your doctor will consider your age. Most women begin the lead up to menopause (which is called perimenopause) between the ages of 45 and 47.

Source:
Porter M, Penney GC, Russell D, et al.
A population based survey of women's experience of the menopause.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1996; 103: 1025-1028.

Here are some of the things your doctor might ask.

Have your monthly periods changed? For example, how long has it been since you had a period? Are you having your period more often or less often than you used to? Has the bleeding gotten heavier or lighter?
Are you having any symptoms of menopause? For example, does your vagina feel dry or have you had

urinary tract infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) happens when bacteria invade the walls of your urinary tract, which includes your kidneys, bladder and urethra. An uncomplicated UTI is one that involves your bladder and urethra, but not your kidneys. A complicated UTI involves your kidneys and can be harder to treat. Another name for kidney infection is pyelonephritis.

urinary tract infections?
Are you having hot flashes or waking up at night sweating (this is called night sweats)?

If there is some doubt about whether your symptoms could be caused by menopause (for example, if you are younger than 40), then your doctor might want to do a blood test called the FSH test.

The FSH test

One of the ways doctors can tell if you are nearing menopause is by doing an FSH test. They usually do it if they think your symptoms might be due to something other than menopause.

This test measures the levels of a chemical called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in your blood. When your

estrogen
Estrogen is the name given to three female sex hormones: oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol. Estrogen causes women's sexual development during puberty: it is needed to develop breasts, have periods and get pregnant. Estrogen is also thought to affect women's health in other ways. It may influence their mood, cholesterol levels and how their bones grow. Men have very low levels of estrogen in their bodies, but doctors aren't completely sure what it does. Estrogen is an important ingredient in most types of contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy.

estrogen levels start to drop, the pituitary gland in your brain releases more FSH to try to get your

ovaries
Women have two ovaries, one on each side of their womb. They are small glands that store eggs. Inside the ovaries are millions of pre-eggs, called follicles. Some of these grow into eggs.

ovaries to make estrogen. For more about FSH, see What happens every month.

So, if your levels of FSH are rising, you could be going through menopause.

Source:
Guyton AC, Hall JE.
Textbook of medical physiology.
10th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2001.

³ But if you're taking the birth-control pill, the FSH test will not work because the pill affects your

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormones.

Doctors don't normally rely on the FSH test to tell if you have reached menopause. They can often tell just from your symptoms.

Sources for the information on this page:

Greendale GA, Lee NP, Arriola ER.The menopause.Lancet. 1999; 353: 571-580.

Porter M, Penney GC, Russell D, et al.A population based survey of women's experience of the menopause.British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1996; 103: 1025-1028.

Guyton AC, Hall JE.Textbook of medical physiology.10th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2001.

This information was last updated on Sep 11, 2009

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