In brief
In brief
A perimenopause symptoms checklist is a memory aid, not a diagnostic score. Use it to show what changed, when it changed and how it affects your life. You do not need to tick every symptom, and a longer list does not prove a diagnosis. A short record of the two or three changes that matter most is often more useful than trying to monitor everything.
What to note for two to four weeks
- Periods: timing, flow, spotting, clots, pain and any bleeding after sex.
- Temperature: hot flushes, night sweats, chills and whether they interrupt sleep or work.
- Sleep and energy: trouble falling asleep, repeated waking, early waking and daytime function.
- Mood and thinking: anxiety, low mood, irritability, lost words, memory or concentration changes.
- Body and movement: headaches, palpitations, joint or muscle discomfort, recovery and strength confidence.
- Intimate or urinary changes: dryness, pain, itching, urgency, leakage or repeated UTI-like symptoms.
- Context: contraception, medicines, pregnancy possibility, major stress, illness and what makes symptoms better or worse.
- Impact: the specific task, relationship, work demand or part of daily life that has become harder.
Sources
Where this guidance comes from
GlowUp checked this article against the sources below on 26 August 2026. This is source-checked editorial information, not a claim of independent medical review.
- Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause NHS · updated 19 May 2026 · accessed 25 August 2026
- Menopause: identification and management (NG23) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · updated 15 April 2026 · accessed 25 August 2026
- Shared decision making (NG197) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · accessed 25 August 2026
- Where to get urgent help for mental health NHS · accessed 25 August 2026