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Menopause
testing in London
Hot flushes, poor sleep, changing periods? A blood test can help confirm what is going on, and a GP reads it alongside your symptoms.
Confirming what is going on
Changing periods, hot flushes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, mood and memory changes. When the picture points towards the menopause or perimenopause, a hormone blood test can help confirm it.
A GP reads the result alongside your symptoms. Hormone levels can vary from month to month around the perimenopause, so the numbers are interpreted together with your cycle and how you feel rather than on their own.
It is also worth checking whether something else, such as a thyroid problem or iron deficiency, is producing the same symptoms. Those can be tested at the same appointment.
What happens
The test, and what follows
The £89 consultation covers the appointment. The hormone profile is £156, charged in addition, with results the next working day.
What the profile covers
Worth knowing before the test
Symptoms
What the consultation is actually for
Hot flushes and night sweats
The best-known symptoms, though far from the most disruptive for everyone.
Sleep that has fallen apart
Waking at three and not getting back down. Often the thing that makes everything else unbearable.
Mood, anxiety, and rage
Frequently the first symptom, frequently misattributed, and frequently treated as depression instead.
Brain fog
Losing words, losing threads. Genuinely frightening when nobody has explained why it is happening.
Joint aches and fatigue
Widely under-recognised as menopausal, and often the reason people end up testing for something else.
Changes to periods
Heavier, lighter, closer together, further apart. Any pattern change is worth discussing.
Bleeding after the menopause, or unusually heavy or unpredictable bleeding, should always be assessed rather than assumed to be hormonal. Please book if that applies to you.
Questions
Things people ask us
Can a blood test confirm the menopause?
Yes, a hormone profile can help confirm it. Because levels can vary around the perimenopause, the GP reads the result together with your symptoms and cycle, and will tell you if a repeat test would be useful.
What if I am under 45?
Testing is particularly important, and under 40 it matters a good deal, because early menopause has implications for bone and cardiovascular health that need managing. In that situation the test is usually repeated to confirm it rather than acted on from a single result.
Could this be my thyroid instead?
It could, and that is one of the more useful reasons to come in. Thyroid problems, iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency all produce fatigue, low mood and brain fog. We can check those at the same appointment rather than assuming the answer is hormonal.
Can I discuss HRT?
Yes, and we prescribe it. The consultation is where we go through your symptoms, what the options are, and what suits your circumstances and history. Bring a list of what has been troubling you, including the things that feel too small to mention. Those are often the most telling. The blood test can be done at the same appointment if it would help.
Come and talk it through
A blood test to help confirm it, a GP to explain it, and HRT prescribed here.