Menopause is a natural process that all women will go through at some point in their lives, with the average age being 51.1 However, every woman is different, and while some will begin this transition in their early 40s, others may not experience it until well into their 50s. Regardless of which category you fall into, it’s important to know that you are not alone, and that the menopause transition is a process, not an event that happens overnight.
We often speak of three stages of menopause:
- Perimenopause: During this stage of the menopause transition, women might experience irregular menstrual cycles, lighter or heavier bleeding than they're accustomed to, hot flashes, weight gain, fatigue, mood swings and more.2
- Menopause: Once a woman's periods have stopped for 12 consecutive months, or on the 366th day after her last period, she is considered to have reached menopause. At this point, she will no longer ovulate, experience a menstrual period, or be able to conceive a child.3
- Postmenopause: This occurs immediately following menopause and forever thereafter. Women who enter this stage typically experience a lessening of their symptoms or may start to experience none at all. During this time, there is a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, urinary incontinence, weight gain, and heart disease, however.4 These conditions can develop in part because women are no longer benefitting from the protective properties of higher estrogen levels as they were during their reproductive years.
Determining a Woman's Menopause Stage
In the past, your main option for confirming if you were transitioning to menopause was a trip to your healthcare provider, where you could discuss how to manage any symptoms and ways to keep discomforts to a minimum – in many instances perimenopause may not have even initially been considered to be the cause of your symptoms. Having a general idea of what stage of menopause you're in can help you understand whether your symptoms are due to menopause or something completely unrelated.
Recent technology has now made it possible for women to use a simple, at-home test to support being able to identify where you are in the menopause journey – it’s known as the Clearblue® Menopause Stage Indicator. You may be asking yourself, however, “Is the Clearblue menopause test accurate?” Here we take a deep dive into how the test works to help answer that question for you.
How Does the Clearblue Menopause Test Work?
To use the Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator, you must collect a sample of your urine and test it five times within a period of 10 days. The test works to detect your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels. At the beginning of the testing period, you must also enter your age and menstrual history into the free Clearblue menopause test app that works in conjunction with the physical test. The app will analyze the combined data and provide you with information regarding the stage of menopause you may be experiencing.5
This at home urine test works similarly to an at-home pregnancy test, except it tests for a different hormone. Pregnancy tests detect the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone,6 while the Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator detects FSH levels. As a woman gets closer to menopause, FSH levels increase, and the ovaries become less responsive to this hormone over time.7
The Accuracy of the Results
A woman's FSH level can wax and wane with their cycles, even if she isn't in perimenopause. This could also be due to a hormonal imbalance or premature ovarian failure, among other problems.8 Additionally, during perimenopause, a woman's FSH levels are likely to fluctuate considerably, so consistent reads can be difficult to capture.9
If you use the Clearblue over-the-counter menopause test when your FSH level is lower than 25, you'll likely receive indeterminate results.10 Every woman’s body is different, and not all women experience consistently elevated FSH levels during perimenopause, since hormone levels fluctuate, as mentioned earlier.11 Therefore, the Clearblue test should be used to support a clinical suspicion of perimenopause rather than serve as a definitive, diagnostic test. A visit with your healthcare provider to confirm any results you capture is recommended.
The Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator could be a helpful tool if you think you’re nearing menopause or are experiencing symptoms associated with it to better understand what your body is going through. However, due to various factors that could cause FSH levels to be temporarily elevated or lower than normal, the test isn’t 100% reliable, and it can’t take the place of the more thorough testing you can have done through your healthcare provider.
If you’re interested in finding out which stage of menopause you’re in and you decide to purchase one of these over-the-counter tests, it’s a good idea to touch base with your healthcare provider before you come to any of your own definitive conclusions. Remember, only a medical professional can confirm if you may be in menopause by performing a series of dedicated blood and urine tests and most importantly, using their clinical acumen.
Resources:
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841-menopause
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/perimenopause
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause
- https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/womens-health/later-years-around-50-years-and-over/menopause-and-post-menopause-health/after-the-menopause/#:~:text=Postmenopause%20is%20the%20time%20after,to%20experience%20symptoms%20of%20menopause.
- https://www.clearblue.com/menopause/stage-indicator/faq
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003432.htm#
- https://www.clearblue.com/healthcare-professionals/menopause/stage-indicator
- https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/p/primary-ovarian-insufficiency.html
- https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/how-do-i-know-when-i’m-in-menopause-
- https://www.clearblue.com/menopause/stage-indicator/faq
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/perimenopause-rocky-road-to-menopause
