How can menopause be diagnosed?
The real way to know whether you are experiencing menopause is to test several hormones – Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and estrogen. FSH and LH are produced by the pituitary gland in your brain. These hormones encourage the ovaries to produce estrogen and to ovulate. When the function of the ovary starts to fail, the brain-pituitary system is forced to work harder to get the ovaries to produce the same amount of estrogen or to ovulate. back to top In menopause estrogen is not produced and FSH and LH levels rise dramatically, as much as 10 times the normal amount, to signal the end of reproductive function and the beginning of menopause. At this point, women experience low estrogen and an elevated FSH and LH. FSH and LH can be high during the normal cycle when you are ovulating but the estrogen levels, unlike in the menopause, will be high at this point. This is why you always need to measure the estrogen along with the other two hormones (FSH and LH) to
