How many of you ladies have been told by doctors you are in menapause?

Hi Beverly,

The first thing you need to hear is that blood tests are only a snap shot at that moment. All woman experience meno differently. Some women go from normal levels to NOTHING in a month, others do a slow and gentle drop. Your bleeding is more important than the blood tests. The standard philosophy is you have to go one full year without bleeding to be in menopause, so I'm shocked your doc is telling you otherwise, simply referring to your numbers. Obviously, you are making enough estradiol to create bleeding almost every month.

Second, in my final couple years, my periods spaced out to every other, then every third, and finally a period just every six months. (I took that slow and gentle drop route)

So I'd say, forget what your doc is telling you, your body is saying otherwise. You aren't menopausal. Just go with the flow, knowing that menopause is coming. And trust me, I'd give anything to have my periods back, so be careful what you ask for. Enjoy what ever compliment of hormones you still have.

Don't now what happened, but on my end, my response isn't printed in full.

Hope you get all of my answer.

I took the hormone test in my 40's because I had all the symptoms of perimenopause. The test came back and my doc told me "no way!" you will go into menopause in your mid to late fifties based on the results.

BOOM! I was officially in menopause at 50! I never went back to that doctor. He thought I was crazy telling him all my symptoms. UGH. I switched to a female doctor.

SOOOOO... not sure that test is accurate!

I never believed in blood test results. I suggest you go by your symptoms. Hugs back to you and all the ladies here who needs it during this phase of our lives

My friend told me that her Dr could tell just by looking at her (skin)!! WTHeck... She didn't have periods for months.. We all know it's 12 months and no periods. Then she had a period and I just laughed-- some doctor he is... He must've said that to give her some hope at 56.

my female doctor told me the blood tests are not reliable unless you do multiple test since the constant fluctuation in hormones cant be accurate with just one draw. hence the mood swings. she recommended one before ovulation and one after. not just one random draw.

Hi Beverly, First off I would say that there is no real solid test out there that can tell you that you are in menopause because leading up to menopause our hormones are fluctuating every month often times most of us have some sort of hormonal imbalance.To know for sure if you are in menopause is if you have missed 12 solid cycles, so a year with no period, then you would be considered in menopause. Unfortunately doctors are not strongly educated in this subject, they just go by the test that was taken and put in their two cents. I have had many blood tests done and each of them were different, one time it said I was low in estrogen, then next time I was low in progesterone, then back to normal, one time I had a high FSH, the next time it was normal. I go by all my symptoms to tell me that I am heading on the road to menopause....which by the way can take up to 10 years. I have had a period every month, but none of them are the same some months its 3 days and light, next month it's 7 days and heavy......so again I no longer rely on testing and just know that once I go a full year with no period I will have graduated into menopause.