Sunday 18 October is World Menopause Day, and this year we're marking it with something we've been looking forward to sharing. In the first 14 weeks after our symptom quiz launched, more than 1,000 women sat down and told us how menopause is showing up in their lives.

Those answers cover sleep, energy, mood, memory and intimacy, and together they give a far fuller picture of menopause than the familiar checklist. To every woman who took the time to share, thank you!

Here's what women told us, and what we're doing with it.

What women told us they're experiencing

Fatigue came out on top, chosen by 79.7% of women. Brain fog, mild anxiety, trouble sleeping, mood swings and low libido followed close behind, each picked by more than six in ten.

The two experiences most people link with menopause sat at the bottom of the list. Night sweats were chosen by 39.9% of women and hot flushes by 37.6%, and 47% of women had neither.

We think that finding deserves a spotlight today. Women are naming a much wider range of experiences than the familiar picture allows, and every one of those answers makes it easier for the next woman to recognise what's happening to her.

Most women were dealing with several things at once. 81% were managing four or more symptoms, and the average severity rating was 7.4 out of 10.

How menopause feels, in women's own words

Alongside the symptom list, the quiz asked women to choose the phrases that best described their days. These are the answers that came up most.

What women told us	Share of women
Waking during the night	50.5%
Forgetting things	42.2%
"Flat, not myself"	41.1%
"Wired but tired"	37.0%
"Anxious, on edge"	34.7%
Never feeling rested	30.6%
Exhausted from the moment of waking	27.6%
Brain fog affecting work	19.8%

Waking during the night was the most common answer here, chosen by half of all women. If 3am has become a regular appointment, our guide to menopause and sleep has some practical places to start.

Changes in thinking and memory came through strongly too. 97% of women reported some shift, 42.2% said they keep forgetting things, and one in five said it's affecting their work. Our guide to managing brain fog in menopause covers simple ways to lighten that load.

How the picture changes from stage to stage

Around two-thirds of the women who took the quiz described themselves as perimenopausal rather than menopausal. Many women, it seems, start looking for support well before their periods stop.

The order in which experiences appeared was one of the most interesting things in the data. In early perimenopause, brain fog, mild anxiety and mood swings were each reported by 74% of women, while 20% reported hot flushes. Hot flushes peaked at menopause, at 63%, then dropped back to 40% after it.

Another 7% of women chose "not sure, something's changed". Their answers looked a lot like early perimenopause, yet only 17% had hot flushes, which may be exactly why the change was so hard to put a name to.

Our list of 10 signs you're entering perimenopause covers more of the early changes that are easy to miss.

The eight patterns in 1,000+ women's answers

When we looked at how the answers grouped together, eight clear patterns appeared. Each woman sits in one, based on the part of life she told us was most affected.

These patterns describe experiences rather than conditions, and they can shift over time.

The 3am Waker

19.4% of women. They fall asleep without much trouble, then wake in the early hours. This was the largest pattern, and the most common in active perimenopause.

The Short Fuse

18.2% of women. Women here told us they feel on edge and quicker to react than they used to, with 93% naming mild anxiety and 92% naming mood swings.

The Empty Tank

18.2% of women. They're tired from the moment they wake, and half said they never feel rested.

The Flat Line

10.1% of women. "Flat, not myself" sums this pattern up. Women here carried the most symptoms of any group, close to six on average.

The Never-Rested

9.3% of women. They sleep the hours but wake unrefreshed, and nearly half also told us they feel anxious.

The Fog

8.8% of women. Thinking and memory are the biggest disruption, named by 97% of women in this pattern.

The Disconnected

8.3% of women. Intimacy is where the change is felt most. This pattern had the narrowest set of symptoms, under four on average, but they were rated just as intensely, and more than a third of these women were post-menopausal.

The Wired & Tired

7.8% of women. Exhausted but unable to switch off, with energy that comes and goes without warning. This was the youngest pattern, with 41% in early perimenopause.

How we're putting your answers to work

If 1,000+ answers teach us one thing, it's that no two menopause experiences look alike. Two women of the same age and stage can need completely different support, and that's the thinking behind how our range is built.

Our six formulas are designed to be layered. Foundation is the base for everyone, and it may help reduce the occurrence of menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes and night sweats associated with menopause, and can support healthy female hormonal balance during menopause. From there, the quiz suggests one of five targeted formulas based on the pattern in your answers.

• Sleep, often suggested for the 3am Waker and the Never-Rested, may help support refreshing sleep and a relaxed mind.
• Mood, for the Short Fuse and the Flat Line, may help relieve mood swings associated with menopause and symptoms of mild anxiety.
• Energy, for the Empty Tank and the Wired & Tired, can support your body's energy production. It contains caffeine, so it's best taken in the morning.
• Focus, for the Fog, may help support mental clarity and concentration, and may help improve short-term memory.
• Libido, for the Disconnected, can support a healthy libido and healthy sexual function.

As your experience changes, your routine can change with it. You might start with Foundation and one targeted formula, then adjust as things shift.

Supplements work best alongside everyday habits. A regular wind-down routine can make broken nights easier, and a daily walk may lift your energy and mood more than you'd expect.

Making the most of your quiz results

Your results can be a helpful starting point for a conversation with your GP. Jotting down what you've noticed and how often it happens gives your doctor a much clearer picture than a single symptom on its own.

Experiences shift through perimenopause and beyond, so it can be worth retaking the quiz every few months to see what's changed. Haven't taken it yet? It takes about two minutes, and you can start the quiz here.

This World Menopause Day, we're celebrating the 1,000 women who shared what menopause is really like for them. Their answers are already shaping how we support women, and we can't wait to hear what the next thousand tell us.

This article is general information only and isn't a substitute for personalised advice from your doctor or health professional. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.