What should you know about FSH and menopause?

FSH can rise as ovarian hormone production falls, but one result alone does not diagnose menopause for everyone. The meaning depends on your age, menstrual pattern, symptoms, pregnancy possibility, contraception, and hormone medicines. A clinician may use the overall pattern rather than treating a single laboratory value as an answer.

FSH is a hormone signal from the brain to the ovaries. When the ovaries make less oestrogen, the signal may increase. Levels can vary during the transition, so a test may be less useful while periods are still changing. Menopause is diagnosed after periods have stopped for the appropriate clinical interval, with the details depending on age and circumstances. Symptoms can include hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood changes, and lower sexual desire.

Take a record of bleeding dates, symptoms, contraception, and medicines. Ask whether FSH testing will change your care and whether another explanation should be considered. Treatment choices may address a particular symptom rather than the test number. Vaginal symptoms, sleep disruption, mood changes, and sexual concerns can each be discussed specifically. Menopause information can also include pelvic floor symptoms, including pressure or a bulge that may suggest pelvic organ prolapse.

Arrange medical assessment for bleeding after menopause, bleeding that is unusually heavy or prolonged, new pelvic pain, or symptoms that interfere with daily life. Seek urgent help for severe pain, fainting, or very heavy bleeding with weakness. Do not use an FSH result to explain away a new symptom without an examination when one is needed.

Ask whether your age and contraceptive method affect interpretation, whether medicines alter the result, what is causing your symptoms, and which treatment options fit your health history. Ask when bleeding or pelvic symptoms require review.