What is the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS)?

Why do we use this scale?

We want to give you as accurate an assessment as possible of where you are on your menopause transition. For this reason, like many other doctors, we use the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS), reproduced with permission. It’s a verified measurement tool used by practitioners worldwide and is a really reliable scale because so many women are measured against it. The GCS is a rich source of information about the menopause symptoms women experience and when they experience them. Its reliability and accuracy mean we are confident in using it as part of our Menopause Questionnaire.

It’s useful to use the GCS score to assess your symptoms at a point in time and then to track how they change over time. This helps you to see how effective any treatment is.

The score alone isn’t used to diagnose whether you are in the menopause transition.

How does the scoring system work?

The GCS asks about your menopausal symptoms and allocates points for different symptoms.

The symptoms fall into three categories:

The psychological scale can be further subdivided to give measures of :

• Anxiety — sum items 1 to 6
• Depression  — sum items 7 to 11
• Symptom 21 is a probe for sexual dysfunction (5).

Studies have shown that women who score over 12 on the GCS are more likely to be menopausal. However, there is a wide range and it’s possible to score lower than this and still be menopausal. You will see that many symptoms are not only linked to the menopause so, equally, but it is also possible to score more than 1 and not be in the menopause transition. The score doesn’t indicate whether you need treatment or not either. You could have a low score because you are only experiencing night sweats, for example. If those night sweats are meaning that you don’t sleep and your ability to function the next day is affected, you should talk to your doctor about treatment.

So while there are limitations, it’s a good tool to use to understand the symptoms you are experiencing at a point in time.