Could I be perimenopausal?

If you're in your forties and things feel different, it's worth considering.

Perimenopause often starts in your forties and can last several years before your periods stop. Common signs include changes to your periods, poor sleep, anxiety, low mood, brain fog, hot flushes and feeling exhausted.

Keeping a simple diary of your symptoms for a few weeks makes it much easier to see patterns and to talk to your GP. For women over 45, perimenopause is usually diagnosed from symptoms rather than a blood test.

Knowing what's going on is often a relief in itself, and it's the first step to feeling like you again.

This is general information, not medical advice. Please talk to your GP about your own health.