Perimenopause and Dutch Women: Directness, Healthcare, and Everyday Strategies
How Dutch women experience perimenopause, including cultural attitudes, the Dutch healthcare system, diet, lifestyle habits, and practical symptom management.
A Culture That Values Directness
Dutch culture is famously direct, and this tends to extend into how women approach health. In the Netherlands, talking openly about physical symptoms is generally more accepted than in more reserved cultures. For perimenopause, this can be an advantage. Many Dutch women feel comfortable bringing symptoms directly to their GP and expect practical, evidence-based responses. At the same time, there is a cultural value placed on stoicism and self-reliance, which means some women still hesitate to seek help, assuming symptoms should simply be endured.
The Dutch Healthcare System and Menopause Care
The Netherlands operates a gated healthcare model in which the GP (huisarts) is the central point of contact. Most women will first discuss perimenopause symptoms with their GP before being referred to a gynaecologist or menopause specialist. The Dutch healthcare system is generally well-regarded, but menopause care has historically been conservative, with some GPs slower to recommend HRT than specialists in other European countries. If you feel your symptoms are not being taken seriously, it is entirely reasonable to ask for a referral or a second opinion.
Diet and Lifestyle in the Netherlands
Traditional Dutch eating habits lean toward dairy, bread, potatoes, and herring. The high dairy intake supports calcium levels, which matters for bone health during perimenopause. However, the relatively low fruit and vegetable variety in traditional Dutch diets means that women following conventional eating patterns may benefit from adding more phytoestrogen-rich foods such as tofu, flaxseed, and lentils. Cycling as a primary mode of transport gives many Dutch women a natural baseline of daily physical activity, which helps with mood, sleep, and weight management during perimenopause.
Attitudes Toward Ageing and Body Image
Dutch society tends to be relatively practical about ageing, with less cultural pressure around anti-ageing aesthetics than in some other Western countries. This can be freeing for women in perimenopause who are adjusting to physical changes. There is generally a pragmatic attitude that the body changes over time and that is simply part of life. This perspective can help women focus on health and function rather than appearance, which tends to lead to better outcomes during perimenopause.
Work-Life Balance and Managing Symptoms at Work
Dutch working culture generally supports flexibility, part-time work, and reasonable working hours, which can make managing perimenopause symptoms at work somewhat easier than in countries with longer working cultures. Many Dutch women work part-time by choice, and there is relatively little stigma attached to this. If symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, or sleep disruption are affecting your work performance, speaking with a manager or occupational health advisor is a reasonable step. Workplaces in the Netherlands are generally required to take employee health seriously.
Tracking and Taking Charge
Regardless of where you live, building awareness of your own symptom patterns is useful during perimenopause. Knowing what triggers hot flashes, when sleep disruption is most likely, or how your mood shifts across the month helps you make better daily decisions and have more productive healthcare conversations. PeriPlan lets you log symptoms and track patterns over time, giving you a clear record to refer to when speaking with your GP or specialist.
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