Am I in perimenopause? How to tell.

The clearest sign you're in perimenopause is a change in your periods — they become irregular, closer together, further apart, lighter or heavier — usually in your forties, alongside new symptoms like hot flushes, broken sleep, or mood changes.

Perimenopause is diagnosed mainly on your symptoms and age, not a blood test — because hormones fluctuate so wildly day to day that a single test often can't confirm it (and can even mislead). The telltale cluster is changing cycles plus some combination of: hot flushes or night sweats, disrupted sleep (especially early-hours waking), mood swings or new anxiety, brain fog, joint aches, and reduced libido. You can be perimenopausal while still having fairly regular periods, but a change in your cycle is the most reliable anchor.

If you're in your forties and several of these ring true, perimenopause is the most likely explanation — and you don't need to wait for a blood test or for periods to stop to seek help.

What to do: track your cycle and symptoms for a couple of months — a pattern is worth more than any one-off reading. Take our free hormone quiz to see how your symptoms map to the hormonal picture, then take that to your GP, who can confirm the stage and talk through options (lifestyle, HRT, and more). If you're under 45 with these symptoms, mention it specifically, as earlier transitions deserve a closer look.