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Q&A's about the New Ru25 Plus - FSH Menopause Test, The Ru25 Plus FSH
Menopause Test l
What is the Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause
Test? Peri-menopause and Menopause l
What is Peri-menopause? Serum Hormone Testing, Saliva
Hormone Testing and l
How are hormones measured? What is the Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause Test? The Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause Test is only available by HormoneCheck.com and approved affiliates, and is only sold in kit form. The kit contains 2 (two) tests so that positive results can be confirmed. This test is cleared by the FDA for home use. read product labeling What is FSH? In normal cycling pre-menopausal women, FSH and LH (lutienizing hormone) levels rise and fall in response to the rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone levels with peak FSH levels averaging approximately 25 mIL/mL at mid-cycle. Just before ovulation (mid-cycle) a rise in FSH and LH can be detected. After an egg is released (ovulation) the developed corpus luteum secretes estrogen and progesterone which then in turn causes the levels of FSH and LH to decrease. As a woman nears menopause and as her ovarian function and estrogen secretion decreases, her FSH levels notably surge and rise. The FSH surge is generally that of 10 fold (approximately 110 mIU/mL, can reach as high as 500 mIU/mL) compared to normal levels, and can remain constant for many years after menopause.(4) If FSH levels remain elevated during the entire cycle, then this is evidence that the pituitary gland is continuing to produce FSH because there has been an interruption or failure in normal egg follicle stimulation. Because high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are associated with low estrogen levels, the usual reasons for FSH levels that remain evaluated throughout the cycle are related to the gradual shutdown (failure) of the ovaries or menopause. Who can benefit from the Ru25
Plus FSH Test? How is the test
performed? What does mIU/ml stand for? What are the normal
expected FSH values of women? Does it mean that I am menopausal if my first test reads positive? No. Because there is a short time each month were normal cycling pre-menopausal women (reproductive age) have a normal FSH rise, two tests are provided as a kit so you can re-check to confirm if your FSH levels remain evaluated. If your first test reads positive, repeat using the 2nd test approximately 5 to 7 days later to determine if your FSH levels are still elevated. Two positive tests for elevated FSH is a clue to the onset of menopause or some other medical condition adversely effecting normal ovarian function. It indicates that the levels of sex hormones such as estradiol, progesterone and testosterone, et. al, have declined and you are in the stage of the peri-menopause. You should discuss your test results and symptoms with your doctor. My test is negative. Does that mean I’m not in menopause? No. While a negative test result means that you are probably not in menopause, if you are experiencing some of the common symptoms associated with menopause you should discuss your symptoms with your doctor. Can I use the Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause test as a form of birth control? No. Contraceptives should never be discontinued based on the results of this test. Prior to use of the Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause Test read all product labeling, information, and precautions. What is peri-menopause? The symptoms of peri-menopause, menopause, or that of a depleted hormonal state often first manifest as sleep disturbances/insomnia, chronic fatigue, hot flashes, depression, mood swings, memory loss, urinary infections/incontinence, and loss of sex drive. The state of being hormone depleted, menopausal, and the symptoms that accompany the condition can greatly affect a woman's well being, her social/work life, and family life. When does menopause start? Menopause usually occurs in women in their late forties to late fifties. A very small percent of women (estimated to be less than 1%) experience early menopause before the age of 40. For women experiencing early menopause, long term effects without treatment may include earlier and more severe cases of osteoporosis and increased risk of and earlier onset of heart disease. The menopausal transition begins with a rise in FSH levels and changes in menstrual cycle length and ends with the final menstrual period. This transition period lasts for most women about 4 years. A small portion of women cease menstruating abruptly with no menstrual irregularity but the majority of women experience menstrual irregularity. A positive Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause test only tells you that FSH levels in your body are (elevated) greater than 25 mIU/ml and you may be in the transition of menopause. It does not tell you exactly when you will reach menopause. Hormones can be detected and measured with serum testing (blood draw), by collecting saliva/body fluid samples for lab analysis (could be done during routine paps), and by in vitro devices which detects hormone presence and volume in urine. Serum analysis (blood test) measures the true total (100%) of both the unbound (free) hormones and the bound (stored) hormones. When serum tests are measured and analyzed it is known that 100% is the amount being analyzed. The saliva testing and results can be greatly affected or altered by outside influences such as what you've recently eaten, drank, smoking, by use of the pill, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and many other influences. Measuring hormones by saliva does not measure 100% of all the hormones present but just the free, unbound hormones within your system. The amount of hormones that are free and unbound at any given moment is has been stated to be anywhere from 1% to 5% of the entire total so it's never really known if what is being measured is 1% of the total hormone present or 5 % of the total hormones present. Because it is known that serum testing measures 100% of the total one could argue that this makes the serum testing a more exact measurement because there are no unknown variables. Because the saliva testing measures the amounts what your body can actually use at that moment it has been strongly inferred and often outright stated by the promoters of these tests that the saliva testing is better then serum testing. Women have been told, "what's the point of knowing how much hormones you're storing, you can't use them anyway so what's the point?" Women are told that, "it doesn't matter how much is being stored…" Yes, women have been told that this information is not necessary! Saliva testing can measure what is free and unbound but to infer because saliva can make this measurement that it's better then serum at determining a woman's overall hormonal health is just not true. A comparison could be made to fat and energy. We have energy stored in fat as calories. Energy is continuously available to us (we even burn calories when we sleep.) A small portion of energy is always available for immediate use and the rest is stored. To tell a woman how much "energy" she has at any given moment, or how many calories she is currently burning but then to tell her that it doesn't matter how much she weighs, that it doesn't matter what percentage of her body weight is fat, or to make statements that it is not necessary to know this information for good health would be inaccurate. The same goes for hormones. When analyzing a women's hormonal health it is very important to know how much is being stored and in what levels. Only serum analysis (a blood test) can measure sex binding hormone (SHBG) because saliva testing can not measure proteins. Do not get confused that SHBG is a hormone because of the word hormone is in its title. SHBG is not a hormone, it is a protein. SHBG is the principle protein that regulates and binds hormones together leaving just a small percentage (1% to 5%) free and unbound. Saliva testing only measures hormones, it can not measure proteins. You can spit out hormones but you cannot spit out proteins. SHBG levels can determine if your hormones are being bound and in what amounts. Your SHBG levels also affect how much estrogen and testosterone your ovaries produces. If your SBHG level is high, low or normal and comparing it to your hormone levels, and seeing if those levels are high, low, or normal gives a much clearer picture of your overall hormonal health then saliva testing.
Is serum hormone analysis
better then saliva testing? For applications such as obtaining baseline levels and yearly monitoring the serum testing is better. Saliva testing is good for other applications such as women under going fertility treatments, and the RU25 Plus FSH Menopause Test also has a place in women's healthcare. Women at times might choose to all types of testing in combination. For anyone to state that saliva is better, or is the only testing women need is wrong. Each type of testing has their place and role in the arena of women's health care. How
does the Ru25 Plus FSH Menopause Test compare to the serum or
saliva testing? Who should get hormone tested? The Ru25 Plus FSH menopause test is another tool that a woman can use to monitor her hormone health. it is non-invasive, less expensive that serum testing, does not require travel to a lab to have a blood draw, and gives a woman accurate results in a matter of minutes in the privacy of her own home. Many women opt to pre-test at home prior to requesting serum testing and undergoing the time, cost, and expense of serum testing. Still, serum testing may detect SHBG and estrogen levels changes before the FSH levels changes are detected, as these changes must take place in order for the FSH level to rise. Ideally, it would be best, (especially in the case of young women), to know that hormone levels are changing prior to detecting an evaluated FSH level. What are the basic serum
tests suggested? Baseline hormone testing for all women should be as standard as mammograms are for women at age forty. Loss of hormones or of hormone production can affect both your physical and mental health (examples include bone health, memory, and libido). In the U.S., your odds are more then one in four of one day having a hysterectomy or a reproductive surgery which could affect your fertility. Your chance of one-day having a surgery that could affect your hormone production or possibly castrate you is much higher then getting breast cancer, yet women are not routinely offered hormone testing as they are with mammograms. Having information about what your levels are when you are in the prime of your life and feeling your best is good information to have in your medical files if you ever need HRT or wish to match your baseline levels. It is has been suggested that the medical standard for hormone testing should include: All women (including women younger then 30) before all surgical procedures or medical treatments which could affect her hormone levels short term or long term: This would include being tested before a hysterectomy, tubal ligation, UAE, prior to donating eggs, lupron shots, and so on. Women who are experiencing irregular periods or cycles. (regardless of age) This would include missing cycles (in absent of pregnancy), experiencing long periods (longer then 10 days of bleeding) long or short cycles (having two periods in a month, going 45 days between cycles). All women who have had a tubal ligation, hysterectomy, UAE, one or both ovaries removed one or both fallopian tubes removed, or any type of surgical or medical treatment that could have affected her hormone production. (regardless of age) Women who are suffering hormonal or menopausal symptoms such as: hot flashes, chills, night sweats, bouts of rapid heart beat, irritability, mood swings, trouble sleeping, loss of libido/sexual drive, crashing or chronic fatigue (CFS), anxiety, difficulty concentrating, fuzzy logic, memory lapses, sore joints/muscles, increase in headaches/migraines, depression, allergies developing or increasing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sudden weight gain or loss, hair loss or thinning, episodes of dizziness or light-headedness, and loss of balance. (regardless of age) When
having serum testing done, is it important to have all of the basic tests done? Cholesterol levels start to rise as the hormones start to go, so women in menopause or experiencing a hormonal imbalance are at greater risk for heart disease. What
is the difference between having serum testing, saliva testing, and tests such as the Ru25
Plus FSH Menopause Test? Serum hormone analysis has been and still is the industry standard, ordered and understood by all doctors. There has been a big push by the manufactures and promoters of the saliva tests to sell, sell, and sell! Part of the marketing of these tests has been statements such as saliva tests are "more accurate" and "better". The truth is serum testing is accurate and is still the industry standard because saliva testing has limitations. Saliva testing is good if you only want to know what is available for immediate use but bad if you want to know what your body is storing. Despite what some promoters of the saliva tests say serum testing is accurate, especially when the tests are grouped and ordered together so that they can be properly analyzed. What if I
get serum hormone tested and all my levels are normal? BIBLIOGRAPHY Send us your Questions or Comments Diagnoses of health/medical conditions are not made at this web site, by www.HormoneCheck.com, or by any of its associates. This site and offered FSH testing is for informational and educational purposes only. No treatment is provided. A positive qualitative test for elevated levels of FSH does not, under any circumstance, confirm or deny a diagnosis of menopause. Further tests and consultation with a health care professional are required. The RU25 Plus FSH Menopause Test is not a treatment or a cure for any condition or disease. Taking, the "pill" (oral contraceptives) may cause a false negative reading with this test. Results of this test are not to be used to determine fertility or lack of fertility. Decisions about contraception should not be made on the results of this test. Direct questions concerning this test, menopause, and treatment for menopausal symptoms to a health care professional. Copyright © 1999 - 2005 |
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