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Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Perimenopause is a process — a gradual transition. No one test or sign is enough to determine if you've entered perimenopause. Your doctor takes many things into consideration, including your age, menstrual history, and what symptoms or body changes you're experiencing.

Some doctors may order tests to check your hormone levels. But other than checking thyroid function, which can affect hormone levels, hormone testing is rarely necessary or useful to evaluate perimenopause.

Treatments and drugs Preparing for your appointment

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  • Menopause
References
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  2. Casper RF. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of menopause. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 10, 2013.
  3. Melmed S, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191205553-3/0/1555/0.html#. Accessed March 10, 2013.
  4. AskMayoExpert. What are the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved clinical indications for menopausal hormone therapy (HT) prescribing? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  5. Menopause and menopause treatments. Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov. Accessed March 8, 2013.
  6. Harlow SD, et al. Executive Summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: Addressing the Unfinished Agenda of Staging Reproductive Aging. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;97:1159.
  7. Casper RF, et al. Menopausal hot flashes. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 10, 2013.
  8. Sood R, et al. Paced breathing compared with usual breathing for hot flashes. Menopause. 2013;20:179.
  9. Welt CK. Ovarian development and failure (menopause) in normal women. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 11, 2013.
  10. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins — Obstetrics. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 128. Diagnosis of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding: in Reproductive-Aged Women. Clinical Management Guidelines. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2012;120;197.
  11. Goodman AK. Initial approach to the premenopausal woman with abnormal uterine bleeding. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 4, 2013.
  12. Bedell S, et al. The pros and cons of plant estrogens for menopause. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In press. Accessed April 7, 2013.
  13. MenoNote: Vaginal dryness. The North American Menopause Society. http://www.menopause.org/docs/for-women/mndryness.pdf. Accessed April 4, 2013.
  14. Zacur HA. Managing an episode of severe or prolonged uterine bleeding. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 4, 2013.
  15. 15. Lo JC, et al. Bone and the perimenopause. Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2011;38:503.
  16. 16. Leach MJ, et al. Black cohosh (Cimicifuga spp.) for menopausal symptoms. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007244.pub2/abstract. Accessed March 11, 2013.
  17. Lentz GM, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-323-06986-1&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-06986-1..C2009-0-48752-X--TOP. Accessed March 10, 2013.
  18. Fisher TE, et al. Lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes. Maturitas. 2012;71:217.
  19. Kang HS, et al. The use of acupuncture for managing gynaecologic conditions: An overview of systematic reviews. Maturitas. 2011;68:346.
  20. Rosen HN, et al. Overview of the management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 11, 2013.
  21. 21. Metzger ML, et al. Female reproductive health after childhood, adolescent and young adult cancers: Guidelines for the assessment and management of female reproductive complications. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2013;31:1239.
  22. Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=4. Accessed Dec. 6, 2012.
  23. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Gynecologic Practice and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Practice Committee. Committee Opinion No. 532: Compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2012;120:411.
DS00554 April 20, 2013

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