Experts caution home menopause kits can’t replace doctor or medical diagnosis
Tests can track hormonal fluctuations, but an expert can guide decisions, says UCI Health specialist
IN THE NEWS: The menopause testing kit market is booming, but UCI Health board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Rebecca Sauer cautions in a Yahoo Health interview that while these kits may be able to track hormone changes during the transition, they aren’t a substitute for a medical diagnosis.
“At-home menopause test kits can help women track fluctuations in hormones; however, diagnoses and medical decision-making should not be done based on them alone.”
Sauer stresses that a specialized medical expert is best able to provide a proper interpretation of testing.
“It’s important to see a health care provider who is experienced in perimenopause and menopause — which people can search through menopause certification through the Menopause Society, for example — to address their concerns.”
Sauer is also an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include abnormal uterine bleeding and fibroids, hormone replacement therapy, menopausal symptoms, adolescent gynecology and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Her research interests include perimenopausal bleeding and screening for cervical cancer in unhoused women.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).