With at-home perimenopause tests, you can track your hormones to take your health into your own hands and figure out if you’ve started perimenopause, if you’re still ovulating, and how your hormones link to perimenopause symptoms.
As you get older, your body changes.
Biological shifts bring you out of your reproductive years, over the menopause threshold, and into postmenopause. These changes begin with perimenopause .
Here’s how to tell if you’ve started perimenopause, and everything there is to know about the tool that can get you the information you need: at-home perimenopause tests.
What is perimenopause? Perimenopause, meaning “around menopause,” is the period of transition into menopause.
During this time, you go through major internal shifts, driven largely by key reproductive hormones.
Your body’s production of estrogen and progesterone fluctuates significantly, eventually declining overall. Production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) also fluctuates and changes, rising overall.
Perimenopause typically begins sometime in the late 30s or early 40s. However, each person is different, so the onset of perimenopause can vary: some people may experience symptoms earlier, while others may not notice any changes until their mid-40s.
The duration of perimenopause can vary from person to person, too. On average, perimenopause lasts around seven years , but for some people it can continue for over a decade. Once you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period, you’ve officially exited perimenopause and reached menopause.
What are the signs of perimenopause? The hormonal changes that come with this menopausal transition can cause a number of perimenopause signs and symptoms that may help clue you in to what’s happening in your body.
Signs and symptoms of perimenopause include:
Of course, it’s always good to pay close attention to what’s happening in your body. But sometimes, signs and symptoms are hard to decipher and it can be difficult to tell if you’re feeling off, if it’s PMS, or if it’s perimenopause.
The most surefire way to understand whether you’ve started perimenopause—and to get a better grasp on your changing body—is to track your hormones using at-home perimenopause tests.
What is an at-home perimenopause test? At-home perimenopause tests measure certain key reproductive hormones to help you see what’s happening in your body.
These tests use either urine, blood, or saliva samples to measure all or a combination of:
Progesterone (or PdG in urine) Estrogen (or E3G in urine) LH FSH Since these hormones all change over time during perimenopause (remember: progesterone and estrogen decrease, while LH and FSH increase), tracking all or a combination of them can help you understand whether or not you’ve started perimenopause.
Many at-home tests are actually combination at-home and lab tests: you provide a sample and that sample gets sent to a lab for analysis, all before you receive results. Other tests measure only one hormone, usually FSH, but a single test of only one hormone doesn’t give you nearly enough information to confirm perimenopause.
There are some at-home perimenopause tests, though, that measure multiple hormones and provide instant results, including the Oova at-home Perimenopause Hormone Kit . Oova measures LH, PdG (a urinary metabolite of progesterone), and E3G (an estrogen metabolite).
This type of at-home perimenopause test can track real-time hormone trends, giving you a daily look at how your body is changing over time. Up-to-date, quantitative hormone information is incredibly useful as you progress through perimenopause, when hormone fluctuation is the name of the game. Tracking your hormone changes can help you identify if you are still ovulating and how your cycle is changing over time.
Why should I track my hormones using an at-home perimenopause test? There are lots of reasons to track your hormones at any and every point in your life. It’s always useful to understand what’s happening in your body so that you can make informed decisions about your health.
During stages like perimenopause, when your body is going through major changes, access to data-driven hormone information can be even more important.
Beyond general wellness and knowledge, here are just a few scenarios where it may be particularly useful to use at-home perimenopause testing to track your hormones.
You suspect you’ve started perimenopause If you’re experiencing signs and symptoms that you suspect may be related to perimenopause, you may want to consider tracking your hormones.
At-home testing like the Oova at-home perimenopause test kit is a non-invasive, convenient, and reliable way to track your daily hormone levels and see whether your perimenopause hunch is correct.
Regular testing can also help you understand the link between your symptoms, your perimenopause hormone changes, and the different stages of your cycle. By noting which symptoms are associated with what, you may be more prepared to deal with those symptoms as they occur.
You might already feel in your bones that you’re transitioning towards menopause. At-home perimenopause tests can give you the validation that: no, you’re not exaggerating; yes, you definitely are changing; and yes, it’s all normal.
Plus, arming yourself with this information may help you start getting the response you need and want from your doctors.
You’re trying to conceive Can you get pregnant during perimenopause ? Yes. This is because you’re still ovulating, albeit irregularly, meaning your body is still releasing eggs that can be fertilized.
If you’re trying to conceive, tracking your hormones is key to knowing when ovulation happens. By identifying ovulation and your fertile window using at-home perimenopause testing, you can time sex in order to optimize your chances of getting pregnant during perimenopause.
Alternately, if you don’t want to get pregnant, your at-home perimenopause test kit can help you figure out when to use protection or avoid sex.
>>MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Perimenopause Ovulation (and How to Track It)
You’re considering or are already undergoing perimenopause treatment If you’re experiencing difficult perimenopause symptoms, you’re not alone—nearly 90% of women seek out professional advice on how to cope with these symptoms. Having insights into your hormones and how they’re linked to your symptoms can make it easier to figure out the best relief for you.
When you use at-home perimenopause hormone tests to figure out if you’ve started perimenopause, you can also use that same information to determine with your doctor whether to try perimenopause treatments , particularly if you have uncomfortable or troubling symptoms.
Perimenopause treatment options include hormone replacement therapies (HRTs), various vitamins and supplements, and lifestyle changes.
If and when you start treatment, or if you’re already undergoing treatment, you can continue to track your hormones to see how your body is responding.
What about lab testing for perimenopause? Lab testing may be necessary if you and your doctor need to test additional hormones, or if you need to test a wider window of measurement than the hormone range captured by at-home tests.
In this case, it’s also entirely possible—and can be quite useful—to use a combination of at-home and lab testing.
You can track daily hormone levels with at-home perimenopause tests to have a more detailed, long-term view of your hormone trends over time. Then, you can supplement this day-to-day information with lab tests to look at other hormones or wider ranges.
Should I use an at-home perimenopause test? The bottom line At-home perimenopause tests can be a convenient and useful way to see whether you’ve started perimenopause, and to get insight into your body and your unique perimenopause journey.
At-home perimenopause tests are also key for optimizing your chances of conceiving during perimenopause.
If you’re struggling with uncomfortable symptoms, consider talking to your doctor about which perimenopause treatment options may be right for you.
By using at-home perimenopause tests to track your hormones, you’ll gain a better understanding of what’s happening in your body. When you’re armed with more detailed knowledge, you can make more informed choices about what’s best for you and your health.
