Doctors offer a standard blood or urine test to determine a woman’s FSH level (follicle-stimulating hormone). Over-the-counter menopause test kits check your urine (much like a pregnancy test) for an elevated FSH level on a particular day. Although advertisements compare the menopause test to a pregnancy test and indeed it looks like one, the results cannot be interpreted in the same way.

FSH is a hormone secreted by your pituitary gland in your brain in response to low estrogen levels — that’s how FSH and menopause are related. High FSH levels can indicate a perimenopausal or menopausal state during that particular cycle.

Take the online free quiz to assess your hormonal health and symptoms now at WomentoWomen.com