Menopause: When is a hormone test advisable?

A hormone test is a specific test for women that determines the values of their reproductive hormones from a blood test. It is usually done to assess the level of female hormones that regulate a woman’s ovarian cycle. In this way, a woman’s fertility potential can be determined. Together with a transvaginal ultrasound, the basal hormone analysis can define the state of the ovarian reserve, and this is of great help in determining the total number of oocytes a woman has and whether ovulation is occurring normally.

But when a woman is approaching the menopause and is advised to have a hormone test, what exactly is being looked for, and when is the best time to do it?

The arrival of the menopause does not occur in 24 hours, it is a process that can last up to ten years where the ovaries begin to show signs of exhaustion in the form of symptoms and hormonal changes that can be evaluated thanks to a study of these hormones that can be done through blood tests.

When symptoms and hormonal imbalances occur early, when they interfere with quality of life, a hormone analysis may be indicated.

At around the age of 45, the follicles of the ovaries begin to fail and respond less well to the gonadotrophins in the pituitary gland of the brain, which are responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle. So, to get the follicles to mature and ovulate, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increases in the blood. This hormone can therefore predict menopausal status. When FSH is higher than 30 mIU/ml, pregnancy is no longer possible, as it indicates that the ovaries lack follicles. If in two tests within a three-month period the FSH is higher than 40 mIU/ml, it can be said that the woman is already in menopause. A typical menopausal hormone test has high FSH and luteinising hormones (LH) and low oestradiol.
A woman over 40 years of age who starts with delayed menstruation, premenstrual hot flushes, genital atrophy, intercourse pain or urinary incontinence can take this hormone test to be better prepared for menopause.

This analysis is usually indicated by gynaecologists when any of the symptoms of the menopause appear. This analysis is a way of getting a head start and taking preventive measures or starting hormone replacement therapy to ensure a pleasant and safe transition to the menopause, with symptoms under control.

Dr. Rafael Navas, an expert in integrative and hormonal health at SHA Wellness Clinic, explains that the available hormone therapies have no safety problems or side effects. “The synthesis of bioidentical hormones is produced through vegetables and plants, their formula is analogous to that of human hormones, they are not equine oestrogens as was the case in the 80s, and in addition the hepatic passage is avoided because we do not give them orally, but through the skin with a cream or pellets. The effects will start to be noticeable after the first month,” explains the doctor.