Perimenopause symptoms checklist: a printable summary for your doctor
Note your perimenopause symptoms, how often they happen and how much they affect you, then print a clear summary to take to your doctor.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Tick what you've noticed over the last few months. For each one, choose how often it happens and how much it affects your day.
Your summary will appear here
Tick at least one symptom to build a summary you can print or save.
This tool gives general wellness information, not medical advice. If something feels wrong, talk to your doctor or midwife.
Quick take: Perimenopause can bring hot flashes, poor sleep, mood changes, brain fog, aching joints, vaginal and bladder changes, and shifts in your periods. This checklist helps you note which symptoms you have, how often they happen and how much they affect you, then turns them into a printable summary for your doctor. It never gives a diagnosis or a score.
How it works
Describing your symptoms in a short appointment is hard, especially when they come and go. A written summary helps you remember everything and helps your doctor see the whole picture at once. This checklist turns what you've noticed into a clear, printable page.
What are the common symptoms of perimenopause?
The NHS lists changes to periods, hot flushes and night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, poor memory and brain fog, vaginal dryness, more frequent urine infections, palpitations, headaches, muscle aches and joint pains, among others.[1] A clinical review notes that the transition can last more than a decade and brings symptoms for most women.[2] How common each symptom is varies between populations and between individuals.[3]
| Area | Examples | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Hot flashes and sweats | Hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations | Palpitations are worth mentioning to your doctor |
| Sleep | Trouble falling asleep, waking early | Night sweats can break up sleep |
| Mood | Low mood, anxiety, irritability | Very low mood deserves prompt help |
| Memory and focus | Brain fog, forgetfulness | Often easy to put down to stress |
| Joints and muscles | Aches, morning stiffness | Common, and often overlooked |
| Vaginal and bladder health | Dryness, painful sex, urgency, infections | Worth raising, even if it feels awkward |
| Periods | Closer together, further apart, heavier, skipped | Heavier bleeding is worth checking |
How is perimenopause recognised?
NICE recommends diagnosing perimenopause in otherwise healthy women over 45 based on hot flashes and irregular periods, without laboratory tests. Menopause is recognised once you've gone 12 months without a period, if you're not using hormonal contraception.[4]
Changes in your cycle are one of the clearest signs. The staging system researchers use describes the early transition as cycles that vary in length by seven days or more from one to the next, and the late transition as gaps of 60 days or more between periods.[5] That's why the checklist asks about your periods alongside everything else.
How do you use the checklist?
The summary keeps your answers in your own words: how often, and how much. It doesn't add them up into a score, because a self-check can't measure symptoms the way a validated questionnaire used by a clinician can. If your symptoms change a lot from week to week, try filling it in on two different days before your appointment.
When should you see a doctor sooner?
The NHS advises seeing a GP about any bleeding after 12 months without a period, even if it's light or happens once. It's usually not serious, but it can be a sign of cancer, which is easier to treat when found early. The NHS also suggests seeing a GP if your periods become heavier, or if you have palpitations.[1]
You don't need to wait until symptoms are severe to ask for help. The NHS notes that getting advice early can reduce the effect symptoms have on your health, relationships and work.[1]
Frequently asked questions
How long does perimenopause last?
It varies a lot. The transition to menopause can last more than a decade for some women, while others move through it more quickly. Menopause itself is reached once you've gone 12 months without a period.
Do I need a blood test to know if I'm in perimenopause?
Usually not if you're over 45. UK guidance says perimenopause can be recognised from hot flashes and irregular periods alone in otherwise healthy women over 45. If you're younger, your doctor may suggest tests.
Why doesn't the checklist give me a score?
A score can suggest more certainty than a self-check can offer. Doctors sometimes use validated questionnaires, and they may ask you to fill one in. This checklist simply records what you noticed, in your own terms, so nothing gets forgotten.
Can exercise help with perimenopause symptoms?
Movement won't switch symptoms off, but it supports mood, sleep, muscles and bones through midlife. Strength and impact work matter especially for bone health, and the bone-health planner can help you build a week around them.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. The checklist runs in your browser, and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. Printing or saving a PDF happens on your own device.
Sources
- NHS (2026). Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. nhs.uk. www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/
- Santoro N, Roeca C, Peters BA, Neal-Perry G (2021). The menopause transition: signs, symptoms, and management options. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa764
- Monteleone P, Mascagni G, Giannini A, Genazzani AR, Simoncini T (2018). Symptoms of menopause: global prevalence, physiology and implications. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2017.180
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2015). Menopause: identification and management. NICE guideline NG23. NICE. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
- Harlow SD, Gass M, Hall JE, Lobo R, Maki P, Rebar RW, et al. (2012). Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. Menopause. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31824d8f40