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.
Symptoms
The physical and mental changes of perimenopause and menopause, and which ones deserve a call to your doctor.
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Symptoms: the overview
Hot flushes and night sweats are the symptoms everyone has heard of, but they are only part of the list. The NHS also names anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, difficulty sleeping, a lower sex drive, vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex, and problems with memory and concentration (the NHS symptom list). They can start years before periods stop and carry on after.
How long they last is one of the questions readers ask most. Most ease within about four years of the last period, while roughly one woman in ten has them for up to twelve years (nidirect: Menopause).
Changes that are easy to miss
Joint aches, itchy or dry skin, headaches, a racing heart and needing to pee more often all turn up in this window. They are easy to blame on age or stress, and many women only link them to hormones when a treatment for something else does not help.
When to see a doctor
Bleeding after your periods have stopped for a year, very heavy or prolonged bleeding, or symptoms before 45 all need a GP appointment rather than a wait-and-see approach. So does low mood that is getting in the way of work or family life.
Our editors' view: if one problem is wearing you down, start there. Hot flushes, sleep and vaginal dryness each have treatments with good evidence, and you do not need every piece to fit the picture before asking for help.
For the appointment itself, the symptom checklist to print for a GP records how often each problem shows up and how much it bothers you.
Questions readers ask
What is usually the first symptom of menopause?
For many women it is a change in the menstrual cycle: periods closer together, further apart, heavier or lighter.
Can menopause cause anxiety?
Yes. The NHS lists anxiety and mood swings among common menopause symptoms, and NICE recommends CBT as one option for low mood linked to menopause.
Do symptoms stop after the last period?
Not straight away. Most ease within about four years, but around one in ten women have symptoms for up to twelve years.
Other topics
- PerimenopauseWhen cycles start to change: the first signs, how long this stage lasts and how it gets diagnosed.
- 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.