Menopause Blood Test

Our Menopause Blood Test checks whether you’re likely to be going through menopause by measuring your levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), and oestradiol. 

This is especially useful for women under 45, or women with atypical symptoms, where there may be uncertainty.

Our test also includes thyroid hormone levels to help rule out thyroid conditions, which can have similar symptoms to menopause and become more common with increasing age.

If you're aged 45–55, menopause is usually diagnosed based on symptoms alone. However, a blood test is useful to support a diagnosis of menopause when there is uncertainty, or when symptoms have developed earlier than expected. For example, if you're under 45 and suspect you're going through early menopause, this test can help you check if this is likely.

Menopause is a natural stage of life, which is usually diagnosed when you haven’t had a period for over a year. It’s triggered by a drop in your oestrogen and progesterone levels and means you can no longer get pregnant naturally. 

Typically, menopause starts between the ages of 45 and 55, and most women go through a transition phase known as perimenopause before it begins. Some women’s periods stop completely before they’re 45, and this is known as early (or premature) menopause.

If you find symptoms caused by fluctuating hormone levels in menopause are affecting your daily life, there are some diet and lifestyle changes that may help. They include getting good-quality sleep and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet including menopause-friendly foods.

It’s also important to look after your mental wellbeing. Sharing advice and personal experiences with family, friends, and colleagues going through the same experience can help. And there are many ways to support others going through menopause.

There are many similarities between the symptoms of thyroid conditions and menopause — the only way to tell them apart with certainty is with a blood test. This is why our Menopause Blood Test checks both your thyroid and reproductive hormones. Measuring your thyroid hormones can rule out or indicate that a thyroid condition may be causing your symptoms rather than menopause.

Perimenopause is the transition phase before you reach menopause, whereas menopause is a point in time, defined as the one-year mark after your last period. So, when you haven’t had a period for a whole year, your perimenopause has ended, and you’ve reached menopause.

Another key difference is that even though you’re less fertile during perimenopause, you still have periods and can get pregnant naturally, but this is not possible once you’ve reached menopause.

In menopause, your testosterone level declines along with your levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Testosterone in women is converted into oestrogen, and according to the British Menopause Society (BMS), testosterone deficiency can lead to heightened menopausal symptoms.

Too little or too much testosterone can affect your overall health. If you’d like to check your testosterone level alongside key female hormones, try our Female Hormone Blood Test.

Whether you’re perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal, it can be a challenging time. But you’re not alone. There are many charities offering information and support, such as Women’s Health Concern, Menopause Matters, The Menopause Café, and Queermenopause for people who identify as LGBTQ+.