Explainer and printable

Menopause questionnaire, explained

The two best-known menopause questionnaires are the Greene Climacteric Scale, a 21-item measure covering psychological, somatic, vasomotor and sexual symptoms, and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), an 11-item measure with somato-vegetative, psychological and urogenital subscales. Both are formal, copyrighted instruments meant to be scored by a clinician, so we describe them and link the originals rather than reproducing them, and provide our own neutral symptom record to prepare for your GP. Information only, not medical advice.

The Greene Climacteric Scale

The Greene Climacteric Scale is a 21-item questionnaire set out by John Greene in 1998. It groups symptoms into psychological (with separate anxiety and depressed-mood clusters), somatic (physical), vasomotor (hot flushes and sweats) and a sexual item, each rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (extremely). It is used in research and in some clinics to measure symptom severity and track change over time. It is a copyrighted instrument, so a clinician normally administers and scores it. Original reference: Greene JG, Constructing a standard climacteric scale, Maturitas 1998;29(1):25-31. See a plain description on Menopause Matters.

The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)

The MRS is an 11-item health-related quality-of-life questionnaire developed in the 1990s and validated across many countries and languages. It has three subscales: somato-vegetative (such as hot flushes, heart discomfort, sleep and muscle or joint problems), psychological (such as low mood, irritability, anxiety and exhaustion) and urogenital (such as sexual, bladder and vaginal-dryness problems), each item rated from 0 to 4. Like the Greene scale it is a formal instrument meant to be scored in a clinical or research setting. Reference: Heinemann K et al., Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2004, open-access article.

Download our symptom record

Our own neutral symptom record, built around the same recognised domains but not a copy of either instrument. Fill it in and take it to your GP. Everything in it is also shown on this page.

Download the menopause symptom record

Our neutral symptom record

This is our own record, not the Greene scale or MRS, and it does not produce a score. Rate each symptom 0 (not at all), 1 (a little), 2 (quite a bit) or 3 (extremely), then take it to your appointment.

Psychological (mood and anxiety)

Feeling anxious or on edge 0 1 2 3
Panicky feelings 0 1 2 3
Difficulty concentrating 0 1 2 3
Feeling tired or lacking energy 0 1 2 3
Loss of interest in things 0 1 2 3
Feeling low or unhappy 0 1 2 3
Irritability 0 1 2 3

Somatic (physical)

Headaches 0 1 2 3
Muscle or joint aches 0 1 2 3
Difficulty sleeping 0 1 2 3
Palpitations 0 1 2 3
Dizziness or faintness 0 1 2 3
Skin crawling or tingling sensations 0 1 2 3

Vasomotor (temperature)

Hot flushes 0 1 2 3
Night sweats or sweating 0 1 2 3

Urogenital and sexual

Vaginal dryness or discomfort 0 1 2 3
Discomfort or pain during sex 0 1 2 3
Reduced interest in sex 0 1 2 3
Bladder problems (urgency, frequency, leaking) 0 1 2 3

Also note which symptoms bother you most, how long they have been going on, how they affect work, sleep and relationships, and what your periods are doing now.

How this fits your appointment

NICE guideline NG23 recommends that menopause care is individualised and decided together with you. Arriving with a clear symptom record makes that conversation easier. Pair this with our HRT conversation prep sheet for the questions to ask. See NICE NG23.

Use our menopause symptoms checklist for a tick-list version, read the menopause symptoms pages, or track patterns over the month with the perimenopause symptom tracker.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Greene Climacteric Scale?

It is a widely used 21-item menopause questionnaire covering psychological symptoms (with anxiety and depressed-mood clusters), somatic symptoms, vasomotor symptoms and a sexual item, each rated 0 to 3. It was set out by John Greene in 1998. It is a research and clinical measure, so a clinician normally administers and scores it. We describe it and link the source rather than reproducing it.

What is the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)?

The MRS is an 11-item health-related quality-of-life questionnaire with three subscales: somato-vegetative, psychological and urogenital, each item rated 0 to 4. It was developed in the 1990s and validated across many countries and languages. Like the Greene scale it is a formal instrument, so we describe it and link the source rather than copying it.

Why not just print the real questionnaire?

These instruments are copyrighted and are designed to be scored and interpreted by a clinician, not self-diagnosed from. Reproducing one verbatim would be a copyright issue and could give a misleading score without clinical context. Instead we explain what each measures, link the original, and provide our own neutral symptom record you can fill in and take to your appointment.

Will my GP use one of these?

Some GPs and menopause clinics use a symptom questionnaire, but NICE NG23 says menopause in women over 45 with typical symptoms is usually identified from the symptoms themselves without tests. If your clinician uses a specific scale they will provide it. Our symptom record simply helps you arrive with a clear picture.

This is information, not medical advice, and is not a substitute for a registered clinician. Our symptom record does not diagnose anything and is not a validated scoring instrument.

Oliver Mackman

Editor, Her Vitals

Oliver leads Her Vitals's editorial coverage of women's life-stage health and supplements. He curates and reviews existing branded products across trying to conceive, pregnancy, postnatal, perimenopause, menopause and the senior years, weighing what the evidence supports against guidance from bodies such as EFSA, the NHS and NICE, and is clear that the content is information rather than medical advice.

Last reviewed: 27 July 2026

Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Editor. Editorial review against published guidance; not a clinical review.