Written by Thy TranHoang
There are a variety of home tests for detection of different health statuses in the market. If home pregnancy tests exist, it may be no surprise that home perimenopause tests exist as well. A fairly new concept that has been up for debate on effectiveness, what are home perimenopause tests and are they worth it?
What are home perimenopause tests?
Home perimenopause tests are similar to home pregnancy tests. The user will place the end of the device or strip under a urine stream or into a cup of urine and wait for a few minutes for the test to produce a result.
During these few minutes, the test is detecting the presence of follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) in the urine. Follicle stimulating hormones help regulate the menstrual cycle and stimulate follicles in the ovary to produce estrogen.
High levels of FSH indicate that not enough estrogen is being produced—and one of the hormonal changes during perimenopause is reduced estrogen production. If there is a high level of FSH, the test will produce a positive result—meaning that the woman may be in her stage of perimenopause.
Are home perimenopause tests accurate?
Although home tests for detections of statuses such as pregnancy and COVID can be deemed as accurate after getting the same result for multiple tests, there are multiple factors that can make home perimenopause tests inaccurate no matter how many times the test is taken.
The first factor is that follicle stimulating hormone levels can vary each month if the length of menstrual cycles are not the same for each month—especially in women who are often “late” or missed their period the previous month, but otherwise have regular cycles.
The second factor is that FSH levels will temporarily rise for a short period after a recent pause or stop in contraceptive usage.
A final factor is that Vitamin D is inversely related to FSH levels, meaning that vitamin D deficiency can lead to an increase in FSH levels. Additional health-related factors can also cause an increase in FSH levels, and further checkup with a medical provider regardless of home test results is advised.
Are home perimenopause tests worth it?
Home perimenopause tests are worth it if you want to know whether there is a possibility that you are perimenopausal based on follicle-stimulating hormone levels. If you have been experiencing menopausal symptoms for a period of time, are within the age range for perimenopause, and have high FSH levels, then you may be approaching menopause. Yet, a definite confirmation will have to be administered by a medical provider as physical exams, medical history, and other laboratory tests are also considered.
Home perimenopause tests are a great concept and are available from different manufacturers at varying prices. However, the full science behind menopause is still unclear to medical science, so updates are needed in order for the product to be more accurate.
Disclaimer: At It’sFetch.co we strive to provide valuable and reliable health information through our blog. We believe in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. However, it is important to understand that the content on our blog is not intended to replace the advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified medical professional.
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