Frequently asked questions

What is the Greene Climacteric Scale?

A 21-item questionnaire developed by Dr John Greene, first published in 1976 and standardised in a 1998 paper in Maturitas. Items are rated from not at all to extremely and cover psychological, somatic and vasomotor domains plus a sexuality item.

What is the Menopause Rating Scale?

An 11-item self-administered questionnaire developed in Germany in the 1990s. Each item is rated 0 to 4 across psychological, somato-vegetative and urogenital subscales. It has been translated into more than 25 languages.

Can a symptom score tell me whether I am in perimenopause?

No. These questionnaires measure and track reported symptoms. They do not diagnose anything. Whether your symptoms indicate perimenopause is a clinical judgement that depends on your history, and it belongs with a clinician.

Do I need a blood test to be diagnosed with perimenopause?

NICE guideline NG23 recommends diagnosing perimenopause without laboratory tests in otherwise healthy women over 45 with menopausal symptoms, based on vasomotor symptoms and irregular periods. Practice varies by country and by individual circumstance.

How often should HRT be reviewed?

NICE NG23 recommends a review at 3 months to assess efficacy and tolerability, then annually.

Do menopause apps share health data?

Some do. A 2023 review of 28 menopause apps in BMC Women's Health found 32% indicated third-party data sharing, and only 7% offered two-factor authentication. Separately, the FTC settled with a period-tracking app in 2021 over sharing sensitive health data after promising privacy.

Is HormoneLog available yet?

Not yet. It is in development. The guides here are free and useful on their own.