The menopause is a clinical diagnosis that relies on symptom recognition so the majority of women DO NOT need a hormone profile blood test to confirm the diagnosis (NICE, 2015).
Women Aged 45 Years And Over
A hormone profile is not required in this age-group to confirm the diagnosis of menopause.
However, it can be considered in this age-group if a woman is not having periods AND is also taking hormonal contraception (e.g. mirena, mini-pill) and needs to determine when she can safely to stop it. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) can be checked and if greater than 30, the woman will need contraception for only 1 year following this result.
FSH should not be checked whilst taking combined hormonal contraception or high dose progesterone (e.g. depot) as the result would be inaccurate.
Women Aged 40 – 45 Years
FSH can be considered in this age-group if a woman is experiencing menopausal symptoms but the clinician is unsure about the diagnosis.
Women Under 40 Years
FSH should be requested in this age-group if a woman is experiencing menopausal symptoms. If the FSH is > 25, it should be repeated in 4 – 6 weeks to confirm the diagnosis.