Monday, May 10, 2010

Menopause Blood Test - How A Blood Test For Menopause Can Help You

If you are suffering from some of the symptoms associated with menopause such as mood swings, fatigue, loss of hair, night sweats and hot flashes you may want to find out whether you have started menopause for sure, one way of doing this is by have a menopause blood test. In this article we will talk about the blood test in a bit more detail.

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms above and you are over the age of 40 it is likely that you have started menopause. These symptoms are commonly seen in menopausal women. However there are sometimes other reasons why some of these symptoms are occurring and that why it is important to have a blood test. This will confirm whether you are going through menopause or whether you have other conditions, such as iron deficiency that leads to fatigue.

If you think you are suffering from menopause you don't necessarily have to have a blood test, you can simply pick up a menopause test kit, and test your urine in the privacy of your own home. Although this is practical a blood test is better in some cases. For example if the results of the menopause test kit states that you are not going through menopause, you still will not know what is causing your symptoms, but with a blood test you can properly diagnose the condition responsible for the symptoms you are experiencing.

A blood test to diagnose whether an individual is suffering from menopause or not is a simple non-invasive procedure.

During a menopause blood test the levels of estrogen, progesterone and follicle stimulating hormone within the blood are measured. If the test results show that there is a decline in estrogen or progesterone it means the menopause process has begun. It is very likely that the doctor will recommend hormone replacement therapy to balance out the deficiency in hormones. This will help to relieve the symptoms of menopause since they occur as a result of the hormones becoming unstable.

Hormone replacement is a very effective and common form of treatment, although in recent times there have been stories in the media about how it may increase the risk of a woman developing breast cancer. This increase in risk is apparently small, but it is still enough to put many women off using this form of treatment.

As you can see a blood test is an excellent tool for finding out whether someone is undergoing menopause or whether they are suffering from another condition that causes similar symptoms. It is a safe test and once it is carried out, your doctor is in a better position to advise you on the best way to deal with your symptoms. To summarize, not everyone has to undergo a blood test to diagnose menopause because you can simply purchase a home test kit, but if you are worried that your symptoms may be occurring because of something else other than menopause, a blood test may be your best option.

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