Ep 21 | Hormones Hocus Pocus: Lab Testing in Perimenopause

Welcome to the wild west of perimenopause, where hot flashes meet hashtags and popular influencers suddenly have a lab test recommendation—thanks, TikTok. Hormone lab testing is “trending” and the Docs are taking a skeptical scalpel to the flood of hormone lab testing trends that have invaded exam rooms and inboxes alike.

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Amy Voedisch and Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su go over which hormone tests are actually helpful and which ones are just good at emptying your wallet. Remember: just because your favorite influencer swears by a saliva test doesn’t mean your ovaries agree.

They explain why testing isn’t always the best next step, even if AI says so. This episode has everything you wanted to know about hormone testing (minus the woo, plus the wisdom).

What you’ll hear in this episode:

[0:45] Social media and AI’s influence on patient expectations

[2:45] Understanding labs

[3:37] Estrogen, progesterone, and other commonly requested tests

[11:16] Progesterone: When and why to test

[16:07] FSH and LH: Key hormones in menopause

[20:03] What you need to know about thyroid testing

[26:02] Understanding cortisol

[30:43] The Role of DHEA in hormone production

[36:28] Pitfalls of unnecessary testing

[40:04] Testing methods: blood vs. urine vs. saliva

[41:58] The Importance of symptom-based treatment

[43:37] A few things to remember

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Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html