Flouria Webinar - Perimenopause Explained
Flouria Webinar - Perimenopause Explained
Hot flushes, mood swings, brain fog, poor sleep, fatigue many women experience these complaints for years without connecting them to perimenopause. On 9 December, Flouria hosted a free webinar with perimenopause expert and GP Lotte van Dijk and co-founder Jeanine van Munster. Here are the key takeaways.
This webinar is also available in Dutch. Watch the Dutch version here →
What is perimenopause and when does it start?
Perimenopause is the transitional phase before menopause, when hormones begin to fluctuate. It can start from age 35 even if your cycle still feels regular. Menopause itself is only confirmed a full year after your last period. Everything before that point is perimenopause.
One of Lotte's key messages: you can already be experiencing symptoms in the early phase while still having regular periods. The hormonal fluctuations start well before the cycle changes.
Why it's so often missed
Perimenopause produces an enormous range of symptoms joint pain, palpitations, brain fog, mood changes, hair loss, fatigue, and more. Because these appear separately, women often end up with different specialists and no one connects the dots. In the Netherlands, newly developed mood complaints in this phase are frequently treated with antidepressants, while in the UK the guidance is to investigate hormonally first.
Lotte's practical tip: track your symptoms for three months. If they follow a pattern related to your cycle, that's a strong signal and knowing it's hormonal, not random, is already reassuring.
What happens in the body
Progesterone is often the first hormone to drop noticeably. Oestrogen fluctuates wildly in the early phase sometimes spiking higher than normal, then dropping sharply. These rapid swings are what make early perimenopause so disruptive. In postmenopause, oestrogen settles at a consistently low level and progesterone is no longer produced.
Testosterone also declines gradually from your 20s onward affecting energy, mood, motivation, muscle strength, and cognitive sharpness.
What actually helps
Lifestyle is the foundation: enough protein and dietary variety, strength training (especially important in this phase), cardio, and stress management. But Lotte was clear that for many women, it's worth starting hormone therapy first because it creates the space to make lifestyle changes.
On hormone therapy: Lotte compared it to treating any other hormonal deficiency. "What you're doing with HRT isn't going through menopause you're softening the landing." Beyond symptom relief, it also offers preventative benefits for bone density, cardiovascular health, and possibly cognitive function.
Body-identical hormones are molecularly the same as those your body produces they can perform all the same functions and have fewer side effects than synthetic versions. The breast cancer risk many women have heard about comes from studies on synthetic progestogens, not bioidentical progesterone.
Vaginal oestrogen was described by Lotte as "a lifesaver that's always mentioned last" extremely safe, effective for dryness, bladder complaints, and discomfort, and available at any age.
Key takeaways
Perimenopause can start from age 35 a regular cycle doesn't rule it out
Track symptoms for three months to identify hormonal patterns
Body-identical hormones are different from synthetic ones the distinction matters
Vaginal oestrogen is safe for almost everyone and widely underused
HRT softens the landing and offers real preventative benefits it's not only for severe symptoms
Want to hear everything in full detail? Watch the complete webinar on YouTube Lotte and Jeanine go deep on treatments, hormone types, and answer live questions from over 100 attendees.
Watch the full webinar here →
At Flouria, we support women through perimenopause with personalised care combining hormone testing, specialist consultations, and continuous guidance.
This webinar is also available in Dutch. Watch the Dutch version here →
What is perimenopause and when does it start?
Perimenopause is the transitional phase before menopause, when hormones begin to fluctuate. It can start from age 35 even if your cycle still feels regular. Menopause itself is only confirmed a full year after your last period. Everything before that point is perimenopause.
One of Lotte's key messages: you can already be experiencing symptoms in the early phase while still having regular periods. The hormonal fluctuations start well before the cycle changes.
Why it's so often missed
Perimenopause produces an enormous range of symptoms joint pain, palpitations, brain fog, mood changes, hair loss, fatigue, and more. Because these appear separately, women often end up with different specialists and no one connects the dots. In the Netherlands, newly developed mood complaints in this phase are frequently treated with antidepressants, while in the UK the guidance is to investigate hormonally first.
Lotte's practical tip: track your symptoms for three months. If they follow a pattern related to your cycle, that's a strong signal and knowing it's hormonal, not random, is already reassuring.
What happens in the body
Progesterone is often the first hormone to drop noticeably. Oestrogen fluctuates wildly in the early phase sometimes spiking higher than normal, then dropping sharply. These rapid swings are what make early perimenopause so disruptive. In postmenopause, oestrogen settles at a consistently low level and progesterone is no longer produced.
Testosterone also declines gradually from your 20s onward affecting energy, mood, motivation, muscle strength, and cognitive sharpness.
What actually helps
Lifestyle is the foundation: enough protein and dietary variety, strength training (especially important in this phase), cardio, and stress management. But Lotte was clear that for many women, it's worth starting hormone therapy first because it creates the space to make lifestyle changes.
On hormone therapy: Lotte compared it to treating any other hormonal deficiency. "What you're doing with HRT isn't going through menopause you're softening the landing." Beyond symptom relief, it also offers preventative benefits for bone density, cardiovascular health, and possibly cognitive function.
Body-identical hormones are molecularly the same as those your body produces they can perform all the same functions and have fewer side effects than synthetic versions. The breast cancer risk many women have heard about comes from studies on synthetic progestogens, not bioidentical progesterone.
Vaginal oestrogen was described by Lotte as "a lifesaver that's always mentioned last" extremely safe, effective for dryness, bladder complaints, and discomfort, and available at any age.
Key takeaways
Perimenopause can start from age 35 a regular cycle doesn't rule it out
Track symptoms for three months to identify hormonal patterns
Body-identical hormones are different from synthetic ones the distinction matters
Vaginal oestrogen is safe for almost everyone and widely underused
HRT softens the landing and offers real preventative benefits it's not only for severe symptoms
Want to hear everything in full detail? Watch the complete webinar on YouTube Lotte and Jeanine go deep on treatments, hormone types, and answer live questions from over 100 attendees.
Watch the full webinar here →
At Flouria, we support women through perimenopause with personalised care combining hormone testing, specialist consultations, and continuous guidance.
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Sign up to stay informed about app developments, company updates and exclusive insights and events.
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Our team is working tirelessly on our platform. We want you to be part of this exciting journey!
Sign up to stay informed about app developments, company updates and exclusive insights and events.