Stores will sell home test kits for menopause

Women will soon be able to buy home testing kits to check if they are menopausal.

They are similar to home pregnancy kits and give extremely accurate results within minutes.

Doctors have welcomed the move as it will reassure women that symptoms they are experiencing are associated with the menopause and not something more serious.

Many women find the menopause distressing because of symptoms such as hot flushes, irregular heartbeat and sweats.

Some women become more susceptible to brittle bone disease, which can be prevented by taking hormone replacement therapy, although there have been health risks linked to the treatment such as increased possibility of cancer.

Most women go through the menopause between the age of 40 and 58 and do not suffer serious ill effects. The home test kit will be sold in Tesco pharmacies. It measures a hormone in the urine produced when changes associated with the menopause occur in the ovaries. As women start the menopause, less oestrogen is produced by the ovaries.

The body responds by increasing the amount of Follicle Stimulating Hormone produced by the pituitary gland. The kit measures the FSH in the urine and is 98 per cent accurate. Doctors have said this is good enough for a home test but GPs normally carry out a blood test for FSH, which is slightly more accurate.

Linda Cardozo, professor of urogynaecology at King's College Hospital, said: "I can't see any reason why it would not be a good thing.

"Lots of women want to know if they are starting the menopause, for a variety of reasons - such as reassurance they can stop using contraception, they are considering hormone replacement therapy and they want to know that their symptoms are not something more sinister.

"Women usually do their own pregnancy testing and this is similar to that. If they are not sure of the results they can seek help from their doctor."

Karen Simister, from Tesco Pharmacy, said: "We felt it was important to remove the stigma associated with this condition by placing this new home testing kit on the shelf along with all our other healthcare offering."

The Vielle Menopause Home Test Kit is priced at ?14.95 for two.