At-Home Hormone Test Eases Perimenopause Symptoms

When Karolina Lofqvist started gaining weight, losing hair, and feeling drained, she knew something was wrong. A former competitive runner, she suddenly found herself unable to complete a jog. Doctor after doctor told her it was just stress and prescribed antidepressants. It took five years and $5,000 before a hormone specialist uncovered the real issue: a hormonal imbalance caused by perimenopause.

Her frustration led to the creation of Hormona, a United Kingdom- and Sweden-based femtech startup offering women data-driven tools, including a women’s hormone at-home test to help women understand their hormones and feel like themselves again. The company is part of a growing movement to give women access to personalized hormone care—especially as they navigate difficult-to-diagnose perimenopause symptoms. Hormona is betting that offering a women’s hormone test at home is the way forward.

Perimenopause Symptoms Often Go Ignored

Hormonal imbalances impact up to 80% of women at some point in their lives—yet they’re still widely misunderstood, frequently overlooked, and often go undiagnosed. In perimenopause, symptoms like mood swings, sleep issues, brain fog, and anxiety are usually mistaken for depression or aging, according to Rupa Health and the Cleveland Clinic.

Hormona, in partnership with Kathy Abernethy, the former chair of the British Menopause Society, conducted a survey that found most women don’t realize they’re entering perimenopause until symptoms become disruptive—and even then, they’re often gaslit by the healthcare system. Lofqvist said that 93% of the women Hormona surveyed reported troubling symptoms, but few received clear answers.

Hormona is cutting through the confusion by giving women real data they can act on.

Perimenopause Clarity With At Home Hormone Test

To address this gap, Hormona spent four years developing its at-home urine tests for estrogen, progesterone, and FSH. Blood tests can miss key hormonal shifts because they’re taken at one point in time. Hormona’s tests track three key hormones multiple times. “We test at key moments in a woman’s cycle,” said Lofqvist, explaining that this approach yields far more insight than conventional methods.

Hormona is a hormone tracking app that helps you monitor hormone levels, anticipate symptoms, and receive personalized wellness tips, enabling you to navigate the transition with greater clarity, control, and balance. Many women have eased symptoms such as PMS by making adjustments based on the app’s insights. For those with more serious imbalances, Hormona connects women in Europe to physicians who can prescribe hormonal treatments or contraception tailored to their needs.

Dr. Anna Targonskaya, Hormona’s medical lead, commented that the platform empowers both patients and doctors with real-time insights that make personalized care finally possible.

Forty percent of Hormona’s users are in the United States. While U.S.-based users currently receive holistic care plans and test kits only, the company is actively seeking partnerships to offer prescription services across states. Hormona’s approach, which combines rigorous diagnostics with intuitive tech, is also helping users recognize the relationship between hormonal shifts and mental health, an area often ignored. For instance, this report shows how Hormona’s personalized tracking system is helping women link anxiety, mood changes, and hormonal activity.

Women’s Hormonal Health: Starting With Perimenopause

While many femtech startups focus on fertility or menopause, Hormona takes a broader approach—serving women from their first period through perimenopause and beyond. This full-spectrum vision sets it apart. As the women’s health market is projected to reach $24 billion by 2030, hormonal therapies have emerged as the leading segment. The segment is expected to grow faster than any other category in the years ahead.

At Voima Ventures, one of the two firms that led Hormona’s recent funding round, founder and managing partner Inka Mero said her firm invests in science that can redefine entire industries. “Hormona is pioneering a global movement by tackling one of the most overlooked aspects of women’s health,” said Mero. “They’re giving millions of women the tools, data, and empowerment to take control of their lives.”

Despite its compelling mission, raising capital proved to be a challenging task. Lofqvist, who previously worked in investment banking, said early pitches often turned into biology lessons. “So many male investors would say, ‘My wife never complained about her hormones. Is this a thing?” she recalled.

Women’s health research has historically been underfunded and deprioritized. Only 12% of the National Institutes of Health’s research budget goes to diseases that primarily affect women. This knowledge gap fuels misdiagnoses and missed opportunities for innovation.

What’s more, less than 5.6% of all venture capital goes to women’s health startups. But there’s growing recognition that funding women’s health is not just an equity issue—it’s a massive economic opportunity.

Lofqvist had to overcome multiple rounds of rejection before securing her first angel investment from London-based SFC Capital. Later, the startup gained traction after winning a major tech competition, Slush, and demonstrating the accuracy of its product in clinical settings. Hormona recently raised $6.7 million from Voima Ventures, Supernode Global, and DLF Ventures, with female VCs leading the round. “This time, our investors had lived through perimenopause,” said Lofqvist. “They didn’t need convincing.”

Solving Women’s Hormonal Imbalance Is Personal For Founders

Hormona’s success is rooted in the deep trust between its co-founders. Lofqvist, CEO, and Jasmine Tagesson, COO, childhood friends from Sweden and have been business partners since their university days in London. While Lofqvist leads strategy and investor relations, Tagesson oversees operations and regulatory work, including collaboration with Hormona’s lead scientist in San Diego.

Their drive is both professional and personal. “We’ve tried launching other ideas, but this one had a real mission,” said Lofqvist. “We’re helping women understand their bodies—and be heard.”

Hormona isn’t just building a product—it’s pushing for change. For women who have been told for too long to “just deal with it,” but given no tools to do so, the company offers something different: real information, recognition, and the tools needed to feel better finally. With more women demanding solutions for hormonal imbalance and perimenopause symptoms, and with the ease of a woman’s hormone test at home, Hormona is poised to lead a new era in women’s health.