Am I in perimenopause? A 3-minute symptom quiz.
Twelve questions about your cycle, sleep, mood and body. At the end you get a symptom score, plain wording about whether your pattern is consistent with perimenopause, and a clear note on when a blood test would and would not add anything. Nothing is stored unless you choose to join the waitlist.
The quiz: 12 questions
1. How old are you?
2. What are your periods doing?
3. Hot flushes or night sweats?
4. Waking in the early hours and struggling to get back to sleep?
5. New or worsening anxiety, irritability or low mood?
6. Brain fog: losing your train of thought, forgetting words?
7. Fatigue that a good night's sleep does not fix?
8. Joint or muscle aches, headaches, or a change in migraine pattern?
9. Palpitations or a racing heart without an obvious cause?
10. Vaginal dryness, discomfort with sex, or bladder urgency?
11. A change in libido that is out of character for you?
12. Weight shifting to the middle, hair thinning, or dry, itchy skin?
This quiz scores symptoms. It is not a diagnosis and not medical advice. Only a doctor can assess whether you are in perimenopause, and any result here is a starting point for that conversation.
How the quiz works: symptom scoring, not diagnosis
The quiz asks about the symptoms Australian women most often report during perimenopause: cycle changes, hot flushes and night sweats, broken sleep, mood changes, brain fog, fatigue, aches, palpitations, vaginal and bladder changes, libido, and changes in weight, hair and skin. Each symptom question scores 0 for "not really", 1 for "sometimes" and 2 for "often". Your cycle question scores 2 if your periods have changed, are skipping or have stopped. Your age does not score, but it changes what we say about testing, because a blood test means something different at 38 than at 52.
The highest possible score is 22. A score is a count of symptoms, not a measurement of hormones, and it cannot tell you whether those symptoms come from perimenopause or from something else. Thyroid problems and low iron in particular produce almost the same list. That is why every result band below ends the same way: with a doctor, and with the question of what else should be checked.
What your score suggests, and what to do next
0 to 5: few of your symptoms are consistent with perimenopause right now. Either you are early in the transition and the pattern has not built yet, or something else explains the one or two symptoms you do have. Track your cycle and sleep for a couple of months. If fatigue, brain fog or palpitations are what brought you here, they are worth checking on their own, because thyroid and iron are common, measurable causes at any age.
6 to 12: some of your symptoms are consistent with perimenopause. This is the grey zone, and it is where most women in their early to mid forties land. Several symptoms are present but the picture is not yet clear. Write down what you notice, note what your periods are doing, and raise the pattern with a doctor. If you are under 45, a blood test adds more here than it does later, both for the hormone readings and for ruling out mimics.
13 to 22: many of your symptoms are consistent with perimenopause. A cluster of symptoms of this size, arriving together in your forties or early fifties alongside a change in your cycle, is the pattern doctors recognise as the transition. Over 45, a doctor can make that assessment from your history alone. A blood test still earns its place for checking the things that mimic perimenopause, and for a baseline if you want one. Talk to a doctor about the full picture.
Whatever band you land in, the perimenopause symptoms checklist shows the full list by age, and the perimenopause and menopause hub lists every test for this stage. If perimenopause turns out not to be the right starting point, find your test asks four broader questions instead.
When a blood test helps, and when it does not
Perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis. Over 45 with typical symptoms, Australasian Menopause Society guidance says hormone testing is not needed to make it, because FSH and oestradiol swing so much during the transition that a single result can mislead. A normal reading does not rule perimenopause out and a high one does not confirm it.
A blood test helps when you are under 45, when contraception or a hysterectomy means you have no periods to track, and, at any age, when it checks thyroid, iron and prolactin, the three conditions that most often mimic the transition. The perimenopause and menopause panel is built around that logic: FSH, LH, oestradiol, testosterone, SHBG and prolactin alongside TSH, iron studies and a full blood count, with a KnowLuna doctor to explain what the picture means if you choose that option. The perimenopause blood test article covers the can and cannot in depth, and this guide sets out typical levels by stage and what testing costs.
Common questions
Is there a free perimenopause quiz?
Yes, this one. It takes about three minutes, asks twelve questions and gives you a symptom score with plain wording about whether your pattern is consistent with perimenopause. It does not store your answers unless you choose to join the waitlist. Like every symptom quiz, it is a guide to a conversation with a doctor, not a diagnosis.
Can a quiz tell me if I am in perimenopause?
No quiz can. A quiz counts symptoms; it cannot tell you whether those symptoms come from changing hormones, a thyroid problem, low iron or something else. What a good quiz can do is show you how closely your pattern matches the transition and point you to the next sensible step, which is a doctor's assessment and, in some situations, a blood test.
What age does perimenopause usually start?
Most often in the mid to late forties, with menopause itself averaging around 51 in Australia. Some women notice the first cycle changes in their early forties. Menopause between 40 and 45 is called early menopause, and menopause before 40 is premature ovarian insufficiency, so symptoms at these ages should be assessed properly rather than watched and waited on.
How can you check if you are perimenopausal?
Mostly from the pattern: several symptoms arriving together, in your forties or early fifties, alongside a change in your cycle. A doctor assesses this from your age, symptoms and history. Blood tests support that assessment under 45 or on contraception, and at any age they check thyroid, iron and prolactin, which cause very similar symptoms.
Do I need a GP referral for the KnowLuna panel?
No. You can bring your own doctor's signed request and pay the test-only price, or a KnowLuna women's health doctor reviews a short questionnaire, requests the panel and explains your results in a 20-minute video consult. Either way you choose how you are collected, at an accredited Australian collection centre, with a home kit or with a nurse home visit, and the report arrives in your account in plain English. You can book a time when you are ready.
General information only, not medical advice. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly.
Sources and further reading
- Australasian Menopause Society: Diagnosing menopause (information sheet)
- Australasian Menopause Society: Perimenopause or menopausal transition (information sheet)
- Jean Hailes for Women's Health: menopause
- Healthdirect: perimenopause
General information only, not medical advice. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly. This page does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history; read our medical disclaimer.