Menopause Symptoms & Diagnosis Self-Testing for Menopause Checking for Menopause at Home By Tracee Cornforth linkedin Tracee Cornforth is a freelance writer who covers menstruation, menstrual disorders, and other women's health issues. Learn about our editorial process Tracee Cornforth Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Anita Sadaty, MD on April 13, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin instagram Anita Sadaty, MD, is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology. She is a clinical assistant professor at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and founder of Redefining Health Medical. Learn about our Medical Review Board Anita Sadaty, MD on April 13, 2020 Print Menopause is the stage in your life when menstruation stops for at least 12 months. The time before this is called perimenopause and could last for several years. You may reach menopause in your early 40s or as late as your 60s. kupicoo / iStockphoto Home-use test kits measure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in your urine. This may help indicate if you are in menopause or perimenopause. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is a hormone produced by your pituitary gland. FSH levels increase temporarily each month to stimulate your ovaries to produce eggs. When you enter menopause and your ovaries stop working, your FSH levels also increase. You can use an at-home self-test if you want to know if your symptoms, such as irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, or sleep problems are part of menopause. While many women may have little or no trouble when going through the stages of menopause, others may have moderate to severe discomfort and may want treatment to alleviate their symptoms. This test may help you be better informed about your current condition when you see your doctor. These tests will accurately detect FSH about nine out of 10 times. It is a qualitative test—you find out whether or not you have elevated FSH levels, not if you definitely are in menopause or perimenopause. This test does not detect menopause or perimenopause. As you grow older, your FSH levels may rise and fall during your menstrual cycle. While your hormone levels are changing, your ovaries continue to release eggs and you can still become pregnant. Your test will depend on whether you used your first-morning urine, drank large amounts of water before the test, or use/recently stopped using oral or patch contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, or estrogen supplements. In this test, you put a few drops of your urine on a test device, put the end of the testing device in your urine stream, or dip the test device into a cup of urine. Chemicals in the test device react with FSH and produce a color. Read the instructions with the test you buy to learn exactly what to look for in this test. Some home menopause tests are identical to the one your doctor uses. However, doctors would not use this test by itself. Your doctor would use your medical history, physical exam, and other laboratory tests to get a more thorough assessment of your condition. A positive test indicates that you may be in a stage of menopause. If you have a positive test, or if you have any symptoms of menopause, you should see your doctor. Do not stop taking contraceptives based on the results of these tests because they are not foolproof and you could become pregnant. If you have a negative test result, but you have symptoms of menopause, you may be in perimenopause or menopause. You should not assume that a negative test means you have not reached menopause, there could be other reasons for the negative result. You should always discuss your symptoms and your test results with your doctor. Do not use these tests to determine if you are fertile or can become pregnant. These tests will not give you a reliable answer on your ability to become pregnant. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Burger H. The menopausal transition--endocrinology. J Sex Med. 2008;5(10):2266-73. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00921.x Santoro N, Epperson CN, Mathews SB. Menopausal Symptoms and Their Management. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2015;44(3):497-515. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2015.05.001