How to tell if your symptoms could all be hormone related

Cool story. The menopause transition can start in your 30's

I’ve found the perimenopause 101 and menopause 101 resources the team at Elektra Health published to be an excellent shortcut vs. reading dozens of articles and listening to several podcasts. Start here to save yourself the hours I spent piecing it together.

(Source: Elektra Health)

Perimenopause means literally “around menopause.” The term is to describe the time in your life between the onset of your first symptoms (from hormonal fluctuations) and the onset of menopause. Perimenopause is wildly unpredictable. Most women will enter into it in their 40’s, but some can experience symptoms years earlier. In early perimenopause you will still be having regular periods, but by late perimenopause if you are not on hormonal birth control, you will have noticed significant changes to your cycle like skipped or irregular periods.

Menopause is technically marked by 12 consecutive months without a period. But it isn’t a clean and clear line for everyone. I’ve read reports and spoken to women who thought they were there, then randomly started having spotting and symptoms again. However, once you truly reach menopause your body is in a new stasis. This means that while you may still be managing symptoms, the things that work for you to manage them will (hopefully) work for years to come.

(Source: Elektra Health)

The “official” list of perimenopause and menopause symptoms

Are you still reading this instead of going to Elektra’s site? I knew it. Have a scan through the list below. These are some of the most commonly reported symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Your hormones whisper to you long before they shout - so it might be hard to tell at first. Once I saw the comprehensive list I was pretty certain I knew what was going on, even though my doctors hadn’t connected my symptoms to hormone imbalance.

• Acne

• Anxiety

• Bloating

• Body odor changes

• Brain fog

• Brittle nails

• Burning mouth

• Decreased libido

• Dizziness

• Depression (or generally feeling low)

• Dry, itchy skin

• Fatigue

• Gum problems

• Hair loss

• Headaches

• Heart palpitations

• Hot flashes & night sweats

• Irregular periods

• Joint & muscle aches

• Mood changes

• Osteoporosis

• Sleep problems

• Sore breasts

• Urinary problems

• Vaginal changes

• Weight gain

• Worsening PMS

Diagnostic tests for hormones

Most care providers with sufficient training in peri/menopause care will diagnose and offer treatments for hormone imbalance based on your symptoms alone. While this is good, diagnostic tests are extremely helpful in creating precision care plans to help treat your symptoms. They can also help rule out other illnesses and conditions. Most functional, integrative, and root cause medicine practitioners start here. This is also my personal preference for determining a course of treatment. Diagnostic tests can also be powerful tools if you are in a position where you need to advocate for yourself in a doctors appointment. To get accurate results for hormone levels in these tests, you should be completely off any hormonal birth control or HRT. Some sources I’ve found say for at least four-weeks, the founder of Mohana recommended at least 3 cycles (months).

Two integrative healthcare providers (Michelle Meeks and Nicole Hamlin) I spoke with in the Seattle area recommend the DUTCH test to their patients. The DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) measures a range of hormones including cortisol, cortisone, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This approach provides a more complete picture of a person's hormonal balance compared to traditional blood tests. Other clinicians only value the results of a blood test. Biomarker testing in this space can feel almost like a religious divide, so it may come down to the physician you are working with and what they will order.

I have also added a few more at-home diagnostic tests to the peri/menopause offers database so you can check there to see if one might be a good option for you.

Have you used an at-home test to measure your hormones? Or are you working with a provider who advised testing? Would love to hear what your experience has been. There are effective treatments for your symptoms and educated providers out there who can help, however finding them can be difficult. If you’re feeling lost in your journey, please reach out.