I am not a man!

Journalist and former nurse Mirjam Kaijer examines why many women live for years with unexplained health complaints and struggle to obtain a correct diagnosis. Combining her own search for answers with broader questions about healthcare, she discusses bureaucracy, gaps in the medical system, rushed consultations, misdiagnoses, and the dismissal of symptoms as psychological or nonspecific conditions. The text focuses on women’s healthcare in the Netherlands and addresses the high share of women among patients with thyroid disorders, rheumatic diseases, and other autoimmune conditions. It argues for more personalized medicine and more research into sex differences in healthcare.