> Perimenopause Glossary: Markers & Scores Explained

Glossary: markers & scores

Short, checkable definitions of the lab values and metrics that matter in perimenopause — each with the question the value actually answers.

Perimenopause: The transition phase before the final period, in which hormones fluctuate strongly rather than declining smoothly. It can last several years and is staged by cycle pattern and symptoms, not by a single lab value.
STRAW+10: The international staging framework for reproductive aging. It assigns phases from reproductive to postmenopause based on cycle length and cycle variability.
Estradiol (E2): The main estrogen during reproductive years, measured in pg/mL. It answers: how much estrogen signal is currently available to the body? Only meaningful together with the cycle day.
Progesterone (P4): The corpus luteum hormone, measured in ng/mL. Meaningful only in the mid-luteal window; it shows whether sufficient progesterone signal followed ovulation.
FSH: Follicle-stimulating hormone. It rises when the ovaries need more signal. Interpretable on cycle day 2–3 and always together with estradiol.
LH: Luteinizing hormone. It triggers ovulation; in relation to FSH it helps place cycle events and cycle disturbances.
AMH: Anti-Müllerian hormone, a marker of ovarian reserve. It reflects the remaining follicle pool but says nothing about symptoms or the date of the final period.
Testosterone: Relevant for muscle, drive and libido, measured in ng/dL. Only meaningful when drawn in the morning and read together with SHBG.
SHBG: Transport protein for sex hormones. It co-determines how much hormone is freely available — which is why a "normal" total value can have a very different effect.
DHT: Dihydrotestosterone, the androgen form that acts strongly at the hair follicle. Relevant in androgenetic hair loss — the effect depends on the whole hormonal setting, not one value.
TSH: The pituitary signal to the thyroid. A TSH inside the reference range does not rule out a functional thyroid issue — that needs fT3 and fT4.
Free T3 (fT3): The active thyroid hormone in pmol/L. It largely sets energy, warmth and metabolic pace and can be low while TSH looks unremarkable.
Free T4 (fT4): The thyroid storage hormone in pmol/L. Together with fT3 it shows whether conversion into the active form is working.
Ferritin: The iron storage value. For hair and energy what matters is not "not anaemic" but a sufficiently filled store — always read with an inflammation marker.
CRP / hs-CRP: Inflammation marker. Elevated values can artificially raise ferritin and distort many other values — which is why CRP belongs in every base panel.
HbA1c: The long-term blood sugar value across roughly three months. It shows the metabolic baseline load, independent of individual meals.
TG/HDL ratio: Ratio of triglycerides to HDL. A practical proxy for insulin sensitivity that can be read from a standard lipid panel.
ApoB: Counts atherogenic particles and is considered a more precise cardiovascular risk marker than LDL cholesterol alone.
Lipoprotein(a): A genetically determined risk marker. Measuring once is usually enough — it barely changes across life but changes risk interpretation substantially.
Vitamin D (25-OH): The storage form of vitamin D. Relevant for bone, immune function and the hair cycle; strongly seasonal at northern latitudes.
Zone 2: Low-intensity movement where you can still talk. It builds the aerobic base and mitochondrial capacity — free of charge and one of the most effective levers in tracked timelines.
VO₂max: Maximum oxygen uptake, the fitness parameter most strongly associated with life expectancy. Trainable at any age.
Perimenopause Health Score (PHS): PeriTrack metric that combines the relevant perimenopause markers into one picture — assessed against clinical target corridors rather than wide reference ranges.
Hair Vitality Index (HVI): PeriTrack metric answering: does your current status support hair growth right now? It is read as a trend because hair reacts with months of delay.
Metabolic Efficiency Index (MEI): PeriTrack metric for metabolic direction: does your metabolism stand better or worse than a few months ago?
Metabolic baseline (PMR): PeriTrack's estimate of your current resting energy requirement under hormonal conditions — the working basis for realistic nutrition and training decisions.
Neuro & Sleep Index (NSI): PeriTrack metric that brings sleep, cognitive clarity and emotional stability together into one readable picture.
Biological age (PhenoAge): A biological age derived from blood values using the published Phenotypic Age model. What matters is the direction across quarters, not a single reading.
Reproductive age (RAE): PeriTrack placement of where you actually stand in the hormonal transition — independent of calendar age.
Cycle day: The day of your cycle counted from the first day of bleeding. It determines whether a hormone value can be interpreted at all.
Mid-luteal phase: The window roughly five to nine days after ovulation. The only meaningful window for measuring progesterone.
HRT / hormone therapy: Supplying estradiol and, where indicated, progesterone to stabilise the hormonal setting. Whether it works shows in the symptom trend plus a follow-up measurement, not one value.

PeriTrack Insights