Perimenopause symptoms: a checklist and tracker
Perimenopause brings more than hot flashes. Here are 21 common symptoms, what they feel like, and how tracking them helps you understand what's happening and when to talk to a doctor.
Download Solace on the App StorePerimenopause symptoms checklist
These are the 21 symptoms you can log in Solace. You won't have all of them, and they can come and go for months at a time.
- Hot flashes
- Sudden waves of heat, often in the face, neck and chest, sometimes with flushing and sweating.
- Night sweats
- Hot flashes during sleep that can soak clothes or sheets and wake you up.
- Poor sleep
- Trouble falling or staying asleep, often linked to night sweats or anxiety.
- Fatigue
- Tiredness that doesn't lift, often following poor sleep.
- Mood swings
- Feeling up and down, tearful or low more easily than before.
- Anxiety
- New or stronger worry, tension or panic.
- Irritability
- A shorter fuse than usual.
- Brain fog
- Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating or finding words.
- Joint pain
- Aches and stiffness in joints and muscles.
- Headaches
- New headaches or migraines that change with your cycle.
- Palpitations
- A racing, pounding or fluttering heartbeat.
- Weight changes
- Weight gain, often around the middle.
- Skin and hair
- Drier or itchier skin, thinning hair.
- Low libido
- Less interest in sex.
- Vaginal dryness
- Dryness, itching or discomfort, including during sex.
- Breast tenderness
- Sore or swollen breasts, often with cycle changes.
- Bloating
- A swollen or full feeling in the abdomen.
- Dizziness
- Feeling light-headed or unsteady.
- Tinnitus
- Ringing or buzzing in the ears.
- Crawling skin
- A tingling or crawling sensation on the skin (formication).
- Bladder changes
- Needing to pee more often or urgently, or more urinary infections.
Solace also lets you add your own symptoms, because not every experience fits a checklist.
Why track perimenopause symptoms
Perimenopause symptoms are irregular by nature. A bad week is easy to put down to stress, and a good week makes it easy to forget the last bad one. Logging for a few weeks shows the real picture: which symptoms you have, how often and how strongly, and how they line up with your cycle.
Solace uses this to estimate your stage (pre, early or late perimenopause, or postmenopause) for education, to calculate your Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) score, and to build a one-page report for your appointment.
Your periods tell part of the story
Changing cycles are a key sign of perimenopause. Solace accepts any period entry, including skipped, irregular or very long cycles, and reads the pattern for your stage estimate. If you don't have periods, see tracking menopause without periods.
Frequently asked questions
What are the first signs of perimenopause?
Changes in your periods are often the first sign: cycles getting shorter, longer, heavier, lighter or less regular. Other early signs can include poor sleep, mood changes, anxiety, hot flashes or night sweats. Symptoms vary a lot between women.
At what age does perimenopause start?
Perimenopause usually starts in your 40s, though it can begin earlier. It lasts until menopause, which is when you haven't had a period for 12 months. The average age of menopause is about 51.
How long does perimenopause last?
Often around four to eight years, but it varies widely. Tracking your cycle and symptoms over time helps you see where you are in the transition.
Do I need a blood test to know I'm in perimenopause?
Often not. NICE guidance says perimenopause can usually be diagnosed from symptoms in women over 45, without a blood test, because hormone levels fluctuate. A symptom log is useful evidence for that conversation.
When should I see a doctor about perimenopause symptoms?
See a doctor if symptoms affect your daily life, if you're under 45 and have symptoms, or if you have unusual bleeding, such as very heavy periods, bleeding between periods or after sex, or any bleeding after menopause.
Track it, understand it, bring it to your appointment
Solace is free to download, needs no account and keeps your health data on your iPhone.
Download Solace on the App StoreSources
Updated 23 October 2026. This page is general education, not medical advice. Solace is a tracking and education tool, not a medical device; it doesn't diagnose or treat. Talk with your healthcare provider about your symptoms and treatment.