'Those fluctuations set off a smouldering fire in your body' – Dr William Declerck with Suzanne Rethans

What to expect from this podcast

In episode 70 of 'We zijn toch niet gek?', Suzanne Rethans talks to Dr William Declerck, physician and co-founder of Uma Health, about what actually happens in your body during perimenopause.

William describes the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause as a smouldering fire: inflammation that burns quietly below the surface, and that shows up in symptoms which at first glance seem unrelated.

The conversation covers:

• why perimenopause is more than hot flushes, and where inflammation fits in
• which blood tests are useful, and why women in the Netherlands often struggle to get them
• the question of sterilisation around the age of 38
• how hormone therapy is talked about, and what dosing means in that discussion
• breast cancer risk, informed consent, and staying in charge of your own body

A 45-minute conversation, in Dutch.

Extended show notes, summaries and sources are on Suzanne Rethans' Substack, MenoWiser.