Menopause symptom checklist for your GP
Tick perimenopause and menopause symptoms, how often each one hits and how much it bothers you, then print one sheet before a GP visit about hormone therapy.
Perimenopause
The years before your last period, when cycles change and symptoms start while periods still come.
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Guides in this topic
Perimenopause: the overview
Perimenopause is the stretch of years when the ovaries slow down but periods have not stopped. The NHS describes it as having menopausal symptoms while you are still having periods. You reach menopause itself once you have gone 12 months with no period at all (NHS: Menopause). For most women that lands between 45 and 55, and the average age in the UK is 51.
The first sign is often a cycle that changes shape: shorter, longer, heavier or skipped. Sleep, mood and body temperature can shift in the same months, which is why many women do not connect the dots for a year or more. Perimenopause can last anywhere from a few months to around ten years.
How it gets diagnosed
For women over 45 with typical symptoms, NICE advises diagnosing perimenopause from the symptoms alone, with no blood test, because hormone levels swing from one day to the next at this stage (NICE guideline NG23). Under 45, a doctor is more likely to run tests, because early menopause has its own health questions.
What the guides here cover
The articles filed under this topic explain the early signs, how perimenopause differs from menopause, why contraception still matters, and how hormone therapy fits in before periods have stopped.
A form for cycle changes and symptoms, with a sheet you can print for a GP, is the symptom checklist.
Ines Kovac's advice for a first appointment: keep a simple note of your periods and symptoms for two or three months. A doctor can do far more with that record than with a single hormone test taken on a random day.
Questions readers ask
Can I still get pregnant in perimenopause?
Yes. Ovulation becomes irregular but does not stop. The NHS advises contraception until periods have stopped for two years if you are under 50, or for one year if you are over 50.
Do I need a blood test to know I am in perimenopause?
Usually not after 45. NICE says typical symptoms are enough for a diagnosis at that age, since a single hormone test can look normal on the day.
How long does perimenopause last?
It varies a lot: from a few months to around a decade before the final period.
Other topics
- SymptomsBrain fog, anxiety, aches and the less-talked-about changes, with what each one usually means.
- Hormone therapy (HRT)What HRT is, the forms it comes in, who it suits and how the risks really stack up.
- Hot flashesWhy the heat comes on, and the treatments with real evidence, hormonal and not.
- SleepWhy sleep breaks down in perimenopause and menopause, from sweating at night to 3am waking, and what helps you stay asleep.
- Weight and dietWhat really changes with weight at midlife, and how to eat for energy, bones and heart.