Women’s reproductive journeys are bookended by two major events—the beginning of their periods as pre-teens, and the end of their cycles in mid-life. But the latter comes as a surprise to many women, who find themselves under-equipped to understand and manage the years of symptoms that can precede menopause.
Clearblue, known for its self tests for pregnancy and fertility, now has a test that can assess which stage of menopause a woman is experiencing. The company says the new test will raise awareness about recognizing symptoms of menopause and help women understand what they mean.
However, not all women’s health experts are convinced that such an at-home test is necessary. Here’s why:
The test measures levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in urine over 10 days, but FSH levels can fluctuate widely before menopause, making readings difficult to interpretEven if women learn they are in perimenopause, that stage can last for years, and doesn’t indicate when they will actually hit menopause, which is defined as missing 12 consecutive menstrual cycle. Most doctors can diagnose perimenopause and menopause without this sort of test, based on symptoms including irregular or heavy cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. Addressing these symptoms should be the priority, and they don’t require a test to identify, say experts.
On opened negotiations between the U.S. government and drug manufacturers: "There are a lot of manufacturers who've taken advantage of the lack of any real attention to price to say, 'well, not only can we start the price high, but we can keep increasing it year after year.' All of these measures are aimed at changing that point of view a bit."
—Jack Hoadley, Research Professor Emeritus in the Health Policy Institute of Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy
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Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Haley Weiss, and edited by Oliver Staley.
Programming note: Health Matters will be off until Sept. 5. Enjoy your weekend!
