A new biological carrier for follicle stimulating hormone: an aid for the diagnosis of menopause.

Abstract

The excretion of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was measured in urine samples collected every 2 weeks and on biological carriers (sticks) collected for 15-30 weeks from 10 perimenopausal women aged 38-53 (median 48 years), with a recent history of irregular menstrual cycles following regular cyclicity. In the 3 months preceding the menopause, long cycles were common and 8 of the 10 women experienced intermenstrual intervals lasting 50 days. FSH excretion was usually elevated to within the postmenopausal range (less than 8 mIU/ml), and only 1 woman excreted the low levels which are characteristic of fertile young women. Overall, FSH levels were higher in the period between 15 and 20 weeks after the menopause (18.3 +/- 6.2 mIU/ml) than in the first 4 weeks (9.6 +/- 5.2 mIU/ml). 95% correlation was found in parallel measurements of FSH attached to the biological carrier, the stick. It is proposed that the biological carrier, the stick, for FSH measurements in urine samples can help physicians to distinguish intervals of amenorrhea from the menopause: 2-3 measurements of FSH attached to the stick in an interval of 1 week can give a reliable answer.