Home kit
Menopause Check
The three reproductive hormones that shift around the menopause, FSH, LH and oestradiol, plus a standard thyroid check.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
5 markers measured
FSH
Follicle-stimulating hormone. As the ovaries become less active in the years before the menopause, less feedback reaches the pituitary gland and FSH rises. Levels can swing sharply from day to day during this change, then stay high after the menopause.
LH
Luteinising hormone, measured together with FSH. In women whose periods have stopped, high LH and FSH before age 40 suggest premature ovarian insufficiency, while normal or low levels point to causes such as weight loss, stress or excessive exercise. A normal FSH with normal or moderately raised LH may be seen in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Oestradiol
An oestrogen hormone, often checked with FSH, LH and prolactin when periods have stopped. A low level can point to early loss of ovarian function (with a high FSH), a raised prolactin, or causes such as weight loss, stress or heavy exercise. Results are not reliable during any hormonal treatment.
Free T4
Free thyroxine (FT4), one of the main thyroid hormones. It is read alongside TSH, the pituitary hormone that controls thyroid hormone production: a low TSH with a raised T3 or T4 usually points to an overactive thyroid. What counts as normal varies with age and laboratory method.
TSH
Thyroid-stimulating hormone, released by the pituitary gland to prompt the thyroid to make T4 and T3. Thyroid hormone levels feed back to control it, so a TSH above the normal range points to an underactive thyroid, especially when free T4 is low.
Overview
Menopausal changes and thyroid changes can feel very similar, so this looks at both from one sample: FSH, LH and oestradiol alongside TSH and free T4. It is most useful if you are under 45 and your periods have changed, or if you want your thyroid checked as part of the same conversation.
Menopause and thyroid changes can feel very similar, so this looks at both together, giving a doctor the information to talk through what the symptoms are more likely to reflect.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Women aged 18 and over
- Women in their 40s with hot flushes, poor sleep or changing periods
- Anyone under 45 whose periods have become irregular
Who it isn’t for
- For women over 45 with typical symptoms, NICE guidance is that blood tests are generally not needed to recognise perimenopause or menopause, and hormone levels swing so much month to month that a single set of numbers can be misleading. If that describes you, a conversation with your GP is likely to be more useful than this panel. It is more informative if you are under 45, if your periods stopped early, or if a thyroid cause needs considering.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Periods becoming irregular, heavier, lighter or stopping
- Hot flushes or night sweats
- Sleep that has become broken
- Low mood, anxiety or brain fog
- Joint aches or vaginal dryness
- Wanting the thyroid looked at alongside hormones
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- FSH▲ High
- Result
- 34 IU/L
- Range
- 3.5–12.5 (day 2–5)
- LHIn range
- Result
- 5.9 IU/L
- Range
- 2.4–12.6 (day 2–5)
- OestradiolIn range
- Result
- 210 pmol/L
- Range
- 98–571 (day 2–5)
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSH | 34 | IU/L | 3.5–12.5 (day 2–5) | ▲ High |
| LH | 5.9 | IU/L | 2.4–12.6 (day 2–5) | In range |
| Oestradiol | 210 | pmol/L | 98–571 (day 2–5) | In range |
Doctor’s note (example)
FSH above 30 with irregular periods and symptoms points towards the menopause transition. Under 45 it is repeated in six weeks before any conclusion.
…and 2 more markers. Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home finger-prick kit
- Preparation
- Read instructions below
- Who it's for
- Women · ages 18+
How to prepare
Wash your hands with soap and warm water before you start. Do not take the sample from a finger, or any area of skin, where hormone cream or gel has been applied, for example HRT or testosterone gel. If you apply gel to your hands, take the sample from the other hand. Hormone on the skin can get into the sample and give a falsely high result.
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
Will this confirm that I am menopausal?
No. Menopause is recognised clinically from your age, your symptoms and your pattern of periods, and NICE advises against relying on blood tests for most women over 45. This panel gives your doctor supporting numbers, particularly where thyroid symptoms overlap.
Does hormonal contraception affect the result?
It depends on the method. The combined pill, patch and ring hold FSH, LH and oestradiol down, so results taken while you use them cannot show where you are in the menopause. The contraceptive injection can lower FSH too. The mini-pill, implant and hormonal coil generally affect FSH less. Tell us what you use so the reviewing doctor can read the results with that in mind.
What if I already use HRT?
Tell us before you take the sample. HRT changes oestradiol, FSH and LH, so the results reflect your treatment as well as your ovaries, and the reviewing doctor needs to know to read them.
I use hormone cream or gel. Does that affect the sample?
It can. Hormone from cream or gel on your skin, such as HRT or testosterone gel, can get into a finger-prick sample and give a falsely high result. Wash your hands first, do not take the sample from a finger or area where cream or gel has been applied, and if you apply gel to your hands, use the other hand.
Does biotin affect the result?
It can. High-dose biotin (vitamin B7), often sold for hair, skin and nails, can make some hormone results read too high or too low. Laboratory advice is usually to leave at least 8 hours after a dose of 5 mg or more, and some advise longer, so the simplest approach is to skip it on the day of your sample. Tell us if you take it, and do not stop a medicine that a doctor has prescribed.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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