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Tired: Peeing on a stick to see if you’re pregnant.
Wired: Peeing on a stick to see if you’re menopausal.
Consumer diagnostics company Clearblue rolled out the first at-home test last Tuesday that uses hormone levels in a patient’s urine to estimate the stage of menopause they’re in.
“The topic of menopause has 10x more searches than fertility, yet only makes up 25% of the conversation size,” Leah Wood, Clearblue’s brand director, said in a statement. “The silence around it is palpable and it’s our hope that if women have more information about where they are in their menopause journey, they’ll feel more empowered to turn up the volume, talk about it, and embrace this new stage in life.”
While the average age of menopause is 51, symptoms can appear years before and may also overlap with other health conditions, according to Clearblue.
How it works
Clearblue’s urine test measures the patient’s level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which becomes elevated during menopause. A pack of five test sticks costs around $30 and is currently available at Walgreens, RiteAid, and Amazon.
Patients input the results of five urine tests taken over the course of 10 days along with their age and menstrual cycle history into Clearblue’s free app to determine if they are in premenopause, early perimenopause, late perimenopause, or postmenopause, according to the company. The app can also help track other menopause-related symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes.
However, Clearblue executives clarified that only a healthcare professional can give a confirmed diagnosis, and that patients should see a provider before stopping any medications such as birth control.
Still, the app can generate a personalized report that includes a patient’s FSH level, potential menopause stage, and the last six weeks of tracked symptoms that the patient can show to their provider to help lead an “an informed conversation about menopause and potential treatment options,” according to a statement.
“The menopause transition can lead to an array of different and frustrating symptoms that can make women feel confused, but having a diary log of symptoms, cycle history, and the results from the FSH tests will certainly help clinicians make a more accurate diagnosis and start the dialogue of safe and available treatment options if appropriate,” Heather Hirsch, a telemedicine provider who treats patients experiencing symptoms of menopause, said in a statement.
By the numbers
More than 1 million patients in the US go through menopause each year, but the condition is still underdiagnosed and undertreated, Healthcare Brew previously reported. The lack of providers with menopause training means patients who need treatment may incur higher healthcare costs from specialty visits and tests.
Menopause care is a predominantly “untapped market,” but more companies are looking to get involved, Fierce Healthcare, a healthcare news outlet, reported. The global menopause market is expected to grow to $24.4 billion by 2030, up from an anticipated $16.9 billion in 2023, according to market intelligence firm Grand View Research.