Female: All women go through a menopause but many want to know when it is happening so how does a doctor diagnose the change.
Female: Unfortunately, the only sure sign that a woman has entered menopause is that she is gone twelve months without a menstrual period with no underlying medical reason. Thus a woman whose menstrual periods have become irregular should start tracking them on calendar to share with her Doctor. Yet many women want more concrete and quicker evidence that they are indeed under going menopause. There are several tests that may help offer conclusive evidence. During pre-menopause which proceeds menopause, the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen in turn causing the vaginal walls to thin.
A simple pipe likes smear will allow a Doctor to diagnose vaginal atrophy which is the thinning and drying out of the vagina. The results in conjunction with careful menstrual cycle records may help your Doctor to identify menopause. Another test which may help in diagnosing menopause checks levels of follicles stimulating hormone or FSH. FSH is a hormone released by the brain pituitary gland to trigger estrogen production but during menopause FSH levels elevates slightly as the body attempts to stimulate the ovaries to produce more estrogen and maintain the menstrual cycle.
A doctor can determine how much of FSH women has with a blood or urine test. Home menopause testing kit are sold in drugstores this require urine sample which also test FSH levels. NO matter where in FSH test is done however it is important to remember that the result are just one component of identifying the unset of menopause. To make that diagnosis a Doctor will also need to perform a complete medical history and physical as well as study women’s menstrual records and lab results.
As a Doctor runs test to determine menopausal unset here she should also look into a women’s bone density this is because lack of estrogen contributes to bone weakening characteristic of osteoporosis. A bone mineral density test or DEXA can quickly measure the amount of calcium in bones in turns showing a Doctor how strong they are this test can be performed by a several methods including an x-ray or an ultra sound. While menopause can be a challenging time for many women and enlisting the aid of a support system including medical professionals and other women can help. If you have concerns about menopause or its symptoms please make an appointment with your Doctor today.
Female: Want to learn more, check out other videos and sources on this site for more information.
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