Menopause blood test: what it checks and when it's needed

Menopause is a date in hindsight, not a lab value. A blood test can show hormone levels that fit menopause, but guidance does not require one to say you have reached it.

Here is what the tests measure, when they get ordered, and which one is the cheapest that fits.

FSH only

The lowest-priced test here for FSH.

$49

See this test at HealthLabs

Price checked October 2026. Not available in ND, RI, NY, NJ, MD and HI. We earn a commission on sales.

How menopause is identified

MedlinePlus describes menopause as the point when menstrual periods have stopped for 12 months in a row. The Office on Women’s Health says the average age of menopause in the United States is 52.

The NIH says women typically notice the signs of menopause without a formal diagnosis, and that blood tests are not required. Providers can measure estradiol, FSH and LH, and the page explains that the ovaries respond less to FSH and LH around menopause, so the body makes more of them.

If you are still weighing whether you are in the transition rather than past it, read the perimenopause test page.

When a menopause blood test is used

• Under 45 with changed periods. The Office on Women’s Health says to tell your provider if your periods stop or become irregular before 45. Your provider may order blood tests, and testing is most useful before 40. MedlinePlus lists premature (40 or younger) and early (before 45) menopause as medical reasons to test FSH.
• Under 40 where premature ovarian insufficiency is suspected. A 2024 international guideline says a clinician can diagnose premature ovarian insufficiency from irregular or missed periods for at least 4 months plus one raised FSH result (above 25 IU/L), and that a repeat FSH or an AMH test may be needed where the diagnosis is uncertain. That is a clinician’s diagnosis, not something a single home result settles.
• Unclear symptoms. MedlinePlus lists symptoms that may be related to menopause where the cause isn’t clear.

At 45 or older, MedlinePlus says testing usually isn’t needed, because high FSH is a normal sign of perimenopause and menopause.

What the hormones show

FSH rises around menopause. MedlinePlus lists menopause and perimenopause among the conditions linked to high FSH in women. It can also be high for other reasons, including primary ovarian insufficiency, PCOS, and thyroid or adrenal disorders, so a high number alone doesn’t name the cause.

LH is often measured with FSH. MedlinePlus says high LH and FSH are usually a sign of normal perimenopause and menopause at 45 or older, and may point to other ovary conditions at younger ages.

Estradiol falls around menopause, per the NIH.

For an example of how labs publish FSH numbers by phase, see FSH levels and menopause. That page shows one laboratory’s postmenopausal reference range and explains why your own lab’s range is the one that counts.

Things that change the result

• Cycle timing. If you still have periods, MedlinePlus says you may need to be tested at a specific point in your cycle, because FSH levels change through the month. The cycle timing tool covers this.
• Medicines and supplements. MedlinePlus says to tell your provider everything you take before an LH test.

Which test to buy

If you want FSH and nothing else, the FSH-only test is the cheapest fit. FSH with LH is a second option. The seller’s page lists the FSH-only test as measuring FSH only, with no LH, estradiol or testosterone, and says results appear in an online account within one to three business days. It says fasting isn’t required but gives no cycle-day instruction, so follow your lab order or your clinician. Estradiol is a separate test.

• FSH and LHFSH and LH on one order $59 See this test at HealthLabs

Sold by HealthLabs. Prices checked October 2026. Not available in ND, RI, NY, NJ, MD and HI. We earn a commission on sales.

Some multi-test panels also include estradiol. Check whether you need the whole panel before you buy one: compare hormone panels.

What a test can’t tell you

On its own, a blood test doesn’t settle whether you have reached menopause, and it can’t tell you why you feel the way you do. See a clinician if you are under 45 with changed or stopped periods, if symptoms are affecting your daily life, or if you think you could be pregnant.