4 Tests To Determine If You Are Experiencing Early Age Menopause
No woman who has even the most rudimentary sense of fertility awareness wants to be told that she might be experiencing early age menopause. After all, there are other reasons for an overactive bladder, skipped periods, a complete lack of menstrual migraines, and a diagnosed progesterone deficiency and not all of them point to early menopause. Nonetheless, if you do believe that you are in the throes of perimenopausal symptoms, there are four tests you need to ask your doctor to conduct.
First and foremost, ask for a blood test that measures estradiol. Quite often at the root of menopausal symptoms, the levels of estradiol in perimenopausal women are significantly lowered than in their fertile counterparts. The lack of estrogen has been implicated in the experience of the dreaded hot flashes and insomnia, and even if you believe to be far too young to have entered menopause, reduced numbers may indicate premature ovarian failure as well as induced menopause due to a failed endometrial ablation or simply as the consequence of a vaginal hysterectomy.
The second test you cannot do without is a blood test that measures the follicle stimulating hormone, often abbreviated as FSH. Interestingly, this hormone measures higher in menopausal women, and if you are not certain that you are looking at early age menopause, this test will help your physician understand your hormonal imbalance symptoms. Since hormonal tests are very sensitive, it is important to not use any progesterone cream, natural progesterone supplementation, testosterone cream, natural testosterone supplements, or herbal extracts that mimic estrogen dominance in the body.
The third test which will help you understand if early menopause is occurring deals with your ovaries directly. If the blood tests come back okay, you will want to ask your doctor to take an ultrasound of your ovaries to ensure that there is no physical problem with your reproductive organs that requires treatment. Keep in mind that for the sake of detecting early age menopause, your ovaries may still look healthy, but for the sake of excluding cancerous lesions or benign growths that may also present with menopause like symptoms, it is wise to rule out any problems in that area.
Last but not least, have your thyroid checked together with getting complete blood workup for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune illnesses. While there is not reason to assume that you are ill, it is wise to check out all possibilities before simply assuming that you are undergoing an early age menopause.
Encourage your doctor to use a lab for your blood works that specializes in hormonal workups. By and large, this disqualifies the average lab that does your run of the mill paternity test and instead will encourage your doctor to use the same highly specialized labs that reproductive endocrinologists utilize to have highly accurate hormonal readings prepared for them. If it turns out that the many symptoms which are pointing toward menopause are indeed indicative of this condition, explore all of your natural and herbal options before resorting to medications. Hot Flash Freedom and other substances have shown great promise for those dealing with a variety of symptoms.