Home tests for pregnancy have been around for a long time. More recently, home tests for fertility hit the market. Now, home test kits for menopause have been approved by the FDA. But do home menopause tests really tell you much?
According to MedicineNet, the answer is yes and no. Menopause tests are similar to pregnancy tests in that they use urine as the testing agent. Menopause tests measure for FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, a hormone produced by your pituitary gland. FSH levels increase temporarily each month to stimulate your ovaries to produce eggs. When you enter menopause and your ovaries stop working, your FSH levels also increase.
Sounds cut and dried, but FSH levels can vary tremendously for other reasons besides menopause, and they are not very predictable. The onset of menopause also varies from person to person. Called perimenopause, the beginning stage of menopause can last for months or years, coming when women are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. During this time, menstral periods may start and stop and FSH levels will fluctuate wildly. Finding out with this test if you have elevated levels of FSH could tell you that you are in menopause or perimenopause, or neither. The test can't indicate fertility, either, and should definitely not be used to determine whether or not you can become pregnant.
