What to Track Before an HRT Conversation
Before discussing menopausal hormone therapy, track the symptoms that matter, your contraindication history, and what “success” would look like for you.
HRT decisions are personal and medical. Good prescribing depends on your symptom burden, health history, and preferences. Tracking removes guesswork from both sides of the conversation.
Track symptom frequency, not vibes
- Hot flashes/night sweats: episodes per day or night awakenings.
- Sleep: time to fall asleep, awakenings, non-restorative mornings.
- Mood, brain fog, and migraine if they fluctuate across the month.
- Genitourinary symptoms if they affect daily comfort or intimacy.
Know your history cold
Be ready to discuss pregnancy status, migraine with aura, personal or family clotting history, hypertension, breast cancer risk factors, and prior reactions to hormones or contraception. Your clinician will interpret these—not the internet.
Related on Periwell
Next step
Compare evidence on routes and formulations
Use the HRT Research Hub for patch, gel, and oral options—then discuss candidacy with your prescriber.
Open HRT research →Keep reading
- How to Prepare for a Perimenopause Doctor Visit (and Be Taken Seriously)
Short appointments reward preparation. Here is a checklist grounded in how clinicians actually assess the menopause transition.
- Perimenopause or Anxiety? How to Tell the Difference
Overlapping symptoms are common. Here is a practical way to separate perimenopause-related changes from primary anxiety—and what to bring to your clinician.
- Telehealth for Perimenopause: What to Expect
Virtual menopause care expanded rapidly. Here is how to get the most from a video visit and when you still need in-person evaluation.