IN FOCUS: Should You Be Testing Your Hormones in Perimenopause?

It is one of the most common questions women bring to the clinic.Do I need to test my hormones?And it is one of the questions that generates some of the most misleading answers online.In this focused extract from our menopause controversies episode, Dr Natalie Hutchins is joined by Mr Vikram Talaulikar, consultant gynaecologist, menopause specialist and researcher, to give an honest, evidence-based answer.The short version: for most women over 45, a random hormone blood test tells you very little.Because perimenopause is defined by hormonal chaos. Oestrogen levels rise and fall unpredictably. Where you happen to catch a woman on that journey determines the result, which may have no correlation whatsoever to how she actually feels.One of the clearest messages from this conversation:Symptoms are a far more reliable guide than any number on a lab report.We also explore: • Why the NICE guidelines moved away from routine hormone testing and what that means in practice • The problem with testing hormone levels while already on HRT • When blood tests genuinely are useful, and for whom • Whether continuous hormone monitoring devices are worth the investment yet • What actually tells you if your HRT is workingThere is a growing market for hormone testing, both in clinics and direct to consumer. Some of it is useful. Much of it is not.Knowing the difference could save you money, confusion and a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.This is an extract from our full episode: HOW TO MENOPAUSE: An Honest Take on the HRT, Testosterone and Dementia Debate. Listen to the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks for reading The Woman's Handbook! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewomanshandbook.substack.com