'Menopause or not'

Hi again. Very quickly. I am the girl (42) that was told I was menopausal at an FSH of 57.9.  After thyroid got in order, I had a "postmenopausal bleed".  Doc checked me out and sent me for an FSH test that I took 3 days AFTER bleeding stopped.  Results came back with my FSH being - GET THIS - 8.5.  I didn't get to my doctor yet (next week), but it looks to the naked eye - me that is that I had a period & that possibly my hormones are slowly coming back to normal.  Could this be?  Are these numbers anything to be concerned about?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

A. Fluctuations in FSH like yours happen all the time around menopause. It means that you are heading towards but not absolutely in menopause. It is neither good or bad, it just is. This might go on for another year or so. Getting  your thyroid in order might restore things for a little longer. What it means is that the usual things that are recommended for women as the enter menopause, like checking your bone density, thinking about getting a colonoscopy, going on calcium and considering estrogen (or alternative) should be topics for discussion with your doctor about now. Don