Perimenopause symptoms checklist

How to use the checklist

1. Tick what you've noticed recently, even if it seems minor or unrelated. Each symptom with its own guide has a Read more link.
2. Check the summary under "Your list". If you tick something that needs prompt care, such as bleeding after a year without periods, the advice to get checked appears there first.
3. Print it or save a dated copy. Saved lists stay in this browser on this device, so you can fill the checklist in again in a month and see what has changed.
4. Want more detail over time? Add the symptoms you ticked to the private symptom diary, where you can rate them daily or weekly and print a doctor report.

What's on the list, and why

The checklist groups symptoms so they're quick to scan. Some are well recognised: UK guidance lists changes in periods, hot flushes and sweats, vaginal dryness and other genitourinary symptoms, effects on mood, joint and muscle pain, and sexual difficulties. Others are things people commonly notice and want to ask about, such as brain fog or palpitations.

You may have seen lists of "34 symptoms of perimenopause". That number comes from popular lists, not from a guideline: NICE describes groups of symptoms rather than a fixed count. Nobody has every symptom, and no number of ticks means you are, or aren't, in perimenopause.

What it can't do

• It doesn't score you or count your ticks against a threshold. It isn't a validated rating scale.
• It doesn't say which stage you are in. For that question, see how the research criteria describe your period pattern in the perimenopause stage guide.
• It can't rule out other causes. Many of these symptoms have other explanations that a clinician can check.

A worked example

Say you're 47, your periods have become irregular over the past year, and you've started waking hot and sweaty at night. You tick Periods coming closer together, further apart, or skipped, Night sweats and Waking in the early hours, and save the list. NICE advises that in otherwise healthy people aged 45 or over, recently started hot flashes or sweats together with a change in periods is usually enough for a clinician to identify perimenopause, without blood tests. Your list, plus how long each symptom has been going on, gives that conversation a head start.

How clinicians usually identify perimenopause

In the UK, NICE advises that for otherwise healthy people aged 45 or over, perimenopause can be identified without laboratory tests when hot flashes or sweats have recently started along with any change in periods. At that age, NICE also advises against using several hormone and ovary tests (including AMH, inhibin, oestradiol and antral follicle count) to identify perimenopause or menopause.

For people aged 40 to 45, and for people under 40 when menopause is suspected, a blood test for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) may be considered. Our guide to blood tests for perimenopause explains when they help. If you are under 40, ask about premature ovarian insufficiency. This is UK guidance; your clinician will follow the guidance that applies where you live.

When to get help now

Questions to take to your appointment

Your saved lists stay on this device

There's no account. Your ticks and any dated lists you save are stored in this browser on this device, and you can reopen, update or delete each one. They aren't sent to us, to analytics or to advertisers. Clearing your browser data, using a private window or switching to another device means they won't be there, so use the export button if you want a backup copy.

Related tools and guides

• Count the days since your last period with the 12-month menopause counter.
• Turn what you ticked into questions about treatment with the appointment question builder.
• Read about the early signs of perimenopause, when to see a doctor, or browse every symptom we cover.