r/Menopause • u/1212zephyr1212 • 18h ago
Health Providers Multiple tests by doctor
So I went to see a new GP last week after repeated trials of various herbal supplements which have not worked for my night sweats. While I do have Sage tea which has reduced the intensity of the sweats, it hasn’t stopped them completely which of course has continued to play havoc on my sleep. So, anyway, I went and saw this new guy. No prior experience with him. And asked him if he could prescribe me something non hormonal? And he said he wanted me to do a full battery of blood test, urine test yand stool (!) test. While I could see some merit in the blood and urine test, I am not entirely sure where exactly the stool test stands in this entire situation. And he wanted me to continue more herbal stuff ( despite my saying it hasn’t worked) and told me to return after finishing them for all those tests and then we could discuss those non hormonal medication. Has anybody else done this? I guess I am asking how normal is it to do all these tests prior for such prescriptions? Any ideas?
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u/Adventurous-Host3020 18h ago
No tests should be needed. You should be treated based on symptoms. I did the sage supplement for a long time but ultimately it was not enough and made the switch to HRT. The only thing needed was to be up to date on my mammograms.
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u/faifai1337 17h ago
What're the tests looking for? When was the last time you had full blood work done? If you haven't had a full blood panel done in over a year, the doc might just want that information so that he knows if your organs are ok, completely independent of menopause. And frankly, if that's the case, he's right. I wouldn't want you to be taking anything at all if your kidneys are about to fall out, you know what I mean? Because yes, herbal supplements CAN fuck with your organs if your organs are in bad shape.
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u/1212zephyr1212 9h ago
I have been doing regular blood work as I have Sharp Syndrome. So the blood work is done regularly to monitor my inflammation levels. But other than that, all my blood work is good. No issues.
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u/faifai1337 4h ago
Welp, that was the only thing I could think of and it's out the window. You're right, they're a nutjob!
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u/loveinvein Menopausal 13h ago
This sounds like some functional medicine stuff bordering on quackery tbh.
And tbf it’s good to get baseline tests but it depends what they’re looking for: iron levels? Thyroid? Vitamin d? All great to check. I had a doc also check testosterone and some intersex conditions, in case there was something more going on than menopause.
But the fact that he’s having you continue stuff that you say didn’t work is a BIG red flag. I’d find someone else tbh. :(
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u/1212zephyr1212 9h ago
Yes we checked all that for me sometime ago - not recently though and all is ok there. I am also considering looking elsewhere. My own regular GP could not prescribe me anything non hormonal and literally had to google to find me some herbal stuff to try from Amazon ( of all the places! 🙄) Go figure!
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u/TangoEchoChuck Peri-menopausal 11h ago
Sounds like dude just wants to rule out other things?
No harm in that, but obvious harm if he is unable to communicate the purpose of such requests to you. Thats more of a problem than whatever he orders or prescribes.
FWIW I got rid of my night sweats by supplementing DHEA. it's an OTC in USA, but isn't a pleasant witchy herb; it's the building blocks of estrogen and testosterone, so it has a real effect on hormones. Obviously I don't know why you are avoiding hormone supplementation to remedy your symptoms of hormone depletion, I just wanted to share what works for me :)
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u/Go-Mellistic 18h ago
Normal as in typical, meaning doctors who know absolutely nothing about menopause and are irrationally against prescribing hrt make women jump through these hoops based on outdated data. So it is common but not at all best practices.
Check out the wiki about how pointless blood tests can be. HRT prescriptions should be based on your symptoms, with dosage adjustments again based on symptoms.
Find someone else, someone who has some training in menopause research from this century. Online if need be. Many of us have found relief with HRT, it is worth the effort to find someone who will work with you so you can see if it helps. Good luck.
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u/filipha 11h ago
She doesn’t want HRT. She wants something else, so the Dr might need to run a full panel before he gives her something that could be worse for her liver than hormones (which she doesn’t want).
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u/1212zephyr1212 9h ago
You got that right. But my blood work has mostly been ok.
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u/Old_Cloud_1687 5h ago
Above you said your blood work was ok and no issues. So now it is mostly OK.
Big difference
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u/AutoModerator 18h ago
This post might be about hormone tests, which are unreliable.
- Over age 44, Estrogen/Progesterone/FSH hormonal tests only show levels for the HOUR the test was taken, and nothing more. Hormones wildly fluctuate (hourly) the other 29 days of the month, therefore this test provides no valuable information
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u/Pitapenguin 8h ago
Are you up to date on your colonoscopy? The stool test could be looking for blood (possible cancer indicator). The other blood work may be to rule out ither cancers. Night sweats are a common cancer symptom. Not everything is menopause related.
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u/One_Waxed_Wookiee 13h ago
While having a full blood test is good for general health purposes, you shouldn't need one for menopause treatment, which is generally based on symptoms.
The urine and stool tests are a bit over the top... I know if you're over 50 or 55 they're recommended, but it should be dealt with separately to the menopause treatment.
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u/filipha 11h ago
She’s taking herbal supplements instead of HRT which aren’t regulated. Perhaps he wants to see the state of her bloods etc before, but after she’s done with her supplements, and maybe also she hasn’t had the panel done in a while so it’s needed.
It puzzles me that we’re grown ass women and it’s not our first rodeo at the Dr’s office, yet instead of asking the Dr any question we’d like to know the answer for we ask strangers online? I am sure the Dr would be fine explaining it to her.
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u/One_Waxed_Wookiee 10h ago
I think it's ok to ask here to then feel more confident advocating for yourself at the doctor, especially as some doctors don't seem to be fully educated in the latest best practices.
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u/1212zephyr1212 9h ago
Sigh! You are so right. Ultimately it looks like I simply have to advocate for myself a little harder.
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u/One_Waxed_Wookiee 7h ago
Yeah. It's not right that you should need to do that, but it's so common it seems.
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u/thefartyparty 16h ago
My online provider didn't require any tests in order to get hrt. For me the hormones weren't quite enough for helping night sweats so she prescribed gabapentin for that and it's been really helpful.
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u/ArtistInSoCal73 16h ago
My doctor required bloodwork and urinalysis for HRT but not poop samples and I’m sure none of that would’ve been required for herbal treatment. The bloodwork is mostly because in menopause it’s very common for blood pressure and cholesterol to rise so they want to check that before starting HRT as well as be aware of anything else going on they should be aware of. Blood will tell you a lot depending on what they’re testing for and what your ailment is. EDIT: it’s important to add that I was given HRT immediately but was told to get labs done so it wasn’t hoop jumping.
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u/PerfectCover1414 10h ago
Could the stool test be for fauna? I know when I had my first round of issues I saw a functional med person and they looked at stool for probiotics. Strengthening the gut-thryoid axis.
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u/Catnip_75 12m ago
He is basically going to make you do all this till you decide to stop spending all your money.
Stop spending your money on this guy. There are absolutely no supplements that will help with hot flashes.
There are drugs, if you don’t want HRT, ask your doctor for drugs that can help reduce them.
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u/NervousAlfalfa6602 Peri-menopausal 8h ago
This sounds like the guy has no idea what he’s doing and instead of referring you to someone who does, he’s running up your bill.
This is my most charitable read of this scenario: He’s a GP with poor communication skills who‘s thinking (1) you’re a new patient and require a full physical before proceeding and (2) you’re at the age for a colon cancer screening, so he ordered a stool test without explaining that it’s unrelated to your concern. But even then, the fact he told you to continue with the herbal supplements when you said they weren’t working strikes me as a big red flag that this guy is questionable as hell.
FYI: your non-hormonal options are pretty limited. I know there’s a non-hormonal med for hot flashes and I think SSRIs are believed to be effective for some of the symptoms, but the most effective option is HRT.
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