Issues relating to the design of scales and their psychometric properties are discussed in the context of constructing a standard measure of core climacteric symptoms. Seven factor analytic studies of climacteric symptoms are examined to determine whether or not there is sufficient consensus across studies to permit agreement on the symptom content and the structure of such a scale. It is argued that these factor analytic studies do indeed contain sufficient consensus on the basis of which a standard climacteric scale can be constructed. Such a scale is described.