There's now an at-home test for menopause

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [There's now an at-home test for menopause, but is it necessary?]( By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent 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 interpret - Even 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. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Scientists Have Identified the Lyme Disease Genes Responsible for Severe Symptoms]( By Alice Park Researchers report the most comprehensive genetic analysis yet of the Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi—setting up new test possibilities. [Read More »]( [The Danger of ‘Invisible’ Biolabs Across the U.S.]( By Dan Greene, Jassi Pannu and Allison Berke U.S. bio labs outside of federal government and academia, and not working with a short list of the worst pathogens, face little oversight. [Read More »]( [Column: Behavior Is a Miracle Drug for Our Health]( By Arianna Huffington It’s the only way to truly move the needle on chronic diseases, writes Huffington. [Read More »]( [The Best Exercises to Sneak Into Your Workday]( By Pam Moore Here are three easy ways to move more during work. (Originally published in 2021.) [Read More »]( [How the Blue Super Moon Looked Around the World]( By Jeffrey Kluger A blue supermoon occurs, on average, once every 20 years. On Aug. 30, skygazers took full advantage of it. [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE 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 If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. 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! [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.