Since COVID, at-home tests seem second nature.
From completely DIY to those where a blood sample is posted off for analysis, they can be helpful in providing a snapshot of your current health, including hormone levels.
As women increasingly want to be better informed about whether they have reached perimenopause - the run-up to menopause that can roughly last from two to eight years - or have already reached it, tests that allow you to self-screen from the comfort of your own home can offer a simple starting point.
For those with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, low mood and sleeplessness, seeing your doctor is always advisable as tests cannot replace medical advice. But trying one of the growing number of at-home testing kits if you think you are going through hormonal changes can offer some complementary insights.
How do at-home tests for menopause work?
Similar to other self-tests, these are done via urine or blood, using DIY pee sticks or a pinprick device that allows you to fill a vial of blood yourself for analysis. Urine tests look for elevated levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, which indicates you aren’t producing enough of the hormones needed for pregnancy. When the ovaries produce fewer eggs, the body tries to boost hormones to trigger ovulation, hence the raised FSH level. These tests are best done the first time you go to the toilet in the morning, as urine is more concentrated and not affected by hydration or physical activity.
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Blood tests are usually recommended first thing too, as many need you to fast beforehand. They involve using a small lancet that pricks the skin, allowing you to fill a vial with blood which is mailed the same day for detailed analysis. As you’d expect, these give more in-depth and accurate information. Your results will outline at least six individual biomarkers, revealing levels of menopause-related hormones including oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone, luteinising hormone (LH) and FSH, alongside what the normal range is.
Who might benefit from an at-home test for menopause?
“At-home testing has pros and cons,” explains Dr Sophie Shotter, GMC-registered and award-winning aesthetic doctor with a particular interest in hormonal health. “The gold standard option will always be to have a consultation with a medical expert, have tests guided and results interpreted by them in line with your personal and unique symptoms and concerns. However, at-home blood tests are often more accessible, both in terms of convenience and price. The results will also be looked at by a doctor, but you may have a less personal interpretation of the results than you would if you were to have the process guided by an expert.”
How can self-screen tests be helpful if you think you may be peri or menopausal? “Knowledge is power,” adds Dr Shotter. “If blood tests come back showing that your FSH and LH level are high, then that is diagnostic of perimenopause. However, if the results are normal, that doesn't necessarily mean you're not perimenopausal and it's important to remember that. But if you have tests showing that you have hormonal changes and shifts alongside other symptoms, it can help you to understand and rationalize how you may be feeling and to seek help for these. In many ways, these tests are best used in conjunction with your symptoms and to monitor you over a period of time, rather than just as a one-off.”
Need to know DIY blood collection
While urine tests are straightforward, blood collection kits are more complex to do and mail. Each test is different so read instructions carefully in advance and try these tips for successful blood collection:
- Choose the right time: blood samples have to be posted for collection the same day (they come with pre-paid envelopes) and only between Monday and Thursday so blood arrives at labs fresh.
- Read up to see if you need to fast beforehand: often six to eight hours.
- Make collection easier by drinking plenty of water: 30mins in advance to help with blood flow. Warming your hand under running water or in a hot towel for a few minutes is essential too.
- Revving up circulation will also make blood flow easier. Try jogging on the spot or star jumps for a couple of minutes to get your heart pumping.
- To fill the vial, massage gently down the wrist and hand, then to the tip of the ring finger on your non-dominant hand (the place advised to prick). Don’t squeeze your fingertip during collection as you can burst blood cells, which then can’t be analysed. (I was very careful and this still happened twice).
Shop the best at-home test kits for menopause
Verdict
Although the results come as a list of stats, once you’ve familiarised yourself with the six different hormones and the optimal range for each, the London Health Company Female Hormone Profile Test provides a quick numerical readout of your own hormone levels.
By keeping the cost low, it offers an easy way to monitor your personal results over time and build up a profile to go hand-in-hand with symptoms when you want to see your GP. Conducted using the same state-of-the-art machines as found in NHS labs, the results are reliably accurate and the articles you can find on the website are incredibly informative too.
