What is a normal estradiol level for a woman?

It depends on cycle phase and life stage. In the early follicular phase a representative range is about 20-80 pg/mL, rising to roughly 100-400 pg/mL at the ovulation peak. Postmenopausal levels are usually below 30 pg/mL. Ranges vary by laboratory and assay.

What is a normal estradiol level after menopause?

After menopause, without hormone therapy, estradiol typically falls below 30 pg/mL and is often below 10 pg/mL because the ovaries have largely stopped producing it. Women on estrogen therapy will read higher depending on the dose and route.

Does estradiol drop suddenly at menopause?

Not abruptly. Estradiol fluctuates widely through perimenopause — sometimes higher than in earlier years, sometimes very low — before settling at a consistently low postmenopausal level. This variability is why a single test can be hard to interpret during the transition.

Why do estradiol reference ranges differ between labs?

Different laboratories use different assay platforms (immunoassay versus mass spectrometry), which report slightly different values, especially at the low levels seen after menopause. Always compare your result to the reference range printed by the lab that ran the test.

What is a normal estradiol level for a woman?

It depends on cycle phase and life stage. In the early follicular phase a representative range is about 20-80 pg/mL, rising to roughly 100-400 pg/mL at the ovulation peak. Postmenopausal levels are usually below 30 pg/mL. Ranges vary by laboratory and assay.

After menopause, without hormone therapy, estradiol typically falls below 30 pg/mL and is often below 10 pg/mL because the ovaries have largely stopped producing it. Women on estrogen therapy will read higher depending on the dose and route.

Not abruptly. Estradiol fluctuates widely through perimenopause — sometimes higher than in earlier years, sometimes very low — before settling at a consistently low postmenopausal level. This variability is why a single test can be hard to interpret during the transition.

Different laboratories use different assay platforms (immunoassay versus mass spectrometry), which report slightly different values, especially at the low levels seen after menopause. Always compare your result to the reference range printed by the lab that ran the test.

Reference-range chart

Normal estradiol levels by age (reference range chart)

Normal estradiol changes dramatically with life stage and cycle phase. In reproductive-age women it is lowest in the early follicular phase (about 20-80 pg/mL), peaks just before ovulation (roughly 100-400 pg/mL), and settles in a middle range in the luteal phase. After menopause it usually falls below 30 pg/mL, and often below 10.

Estradiol reference ranges by age

Representative estradiol (E2) reference ranges by life stage and cycle phase. Representative intervals only — values vary by laboratory and assay.
Life stage / cycle phase	Estradiol (pg/mL)	Notes
Before puberty	< 15	Low until puberty, then rises
Reproductive — early follicular (days 1-5)	20-80	Lowest point of the cycle
Reproductive — late follicular / ovulation peak	100-400	Peaks just before ovulation
Reproductive — luteal phase	50-160	Secondary rise after ovulation
Pregnancy	Hundreds to > 10,000	Rises steadily toward term
Perimenopause	Widely variable (often 30-150, with swings)	Erratic highs and lows — hard to read on one draw
Postmenopausal (no hormone therapy)	< 30 (often < 10)	Ovarian estradiol production has largely stopped

How estradiol is measured

Estradiol (E2) is measured from a blood sample, timed to the cycle when relevant. The intervals below are representative — Mayo Clinic Laboratories, LabCorp, and Quest publish similar but not identical ranges, and immunoassay versus mass-spectrometry methods differ at low levels. To convert pg/mL to SI units (pmol/L), multiply by 3.67. Interpret any result with the clinician who ordered it, not against a chart alone.

How to read your result

A single estradiol value is only meaningful alongside the cycle day, age, and symptoms — the same number can be normal or abnormal depending on timing.
In perimenopause, estradiol swings widely from cycle to cycle, so one low or high reading rarely confirms a diagnosis by itself.
FSH and estradiol are usually interpreted together: rising FSH with falling estradiol is the classic menopausal-transition pattern.
Very high estradiol outside pregnancy, or any level that does not fit the clinical picture, warrants repeat testing and a clinician review.

Related symptom guides

Where to go next

Other by-age charts

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal estradiol level for a woman?: It depends on cycle phase and life stage. In the early follicular phase a representative range is about 20-80 pg/mL, rising to roughly 100-400 pg/mL at the ovulation peak. Postmenopausal levels are usually below 30 pg/mL. Ranges vary by laboratory and assay.
What is a normal estradiol level after menopause?: After menopause, without hormone therapy, estradiol typically falls below 30 pg/mL and is often below 10 pg/mL because the ovaries have largely stopped producing it. Women on estrogen therapy will read higher depending on the dose and route.
Does estradiol drop suddenly at menopause?: Not abruptly. Estradiol fluctuates widely through perimenopause — sometimes higher than in earlier years, sometimes very low — before settling at a consistently low postmenopausal level. This variability is why a single test can be hard to interpret during the transition.
Why do estradiol reference ranges differ between labs?: Different laboratories use different assay platforms (immunoassay versus mass spectrometry), which report slightly different values, especially at the low levels seen after menopause. Always compare your result to the reference range printed by the lab that ran the test.

Primary medical sources

ClearHormones publishes editorial reference material for education only. Reference ranges vary between laboratories — always interpret your result with the clinician who ordered the test.