How a Wrong Headline Destroyed Women's Health for 20 Years

If you've had a hormonal blood panel and been told everything is fine, you may have been asking your doctor for the one test that cannot actually diagnose perimenopause. Dr Foong explains why — and what the right diagnostic approach looks like.

Uma Thana opens this episode by doing something most women never do: she shares her own medical records on camera, exposing a decade of missed signals across multiple doctors. With Dr Foong — a UK-trained precision primary care specialist with 25 years of experience — she works through each data point and discovers that the tests she was given, the ranges she was told to trust, and the advice she received were all pointing her in the wrong direction. Topics range from why cholesterol rises in your 40s without any change in diet, to the 2002 study headline that wiped out two decades of hormone therapy use, to why "within range" on a blood test is not the same as healthy. The episode closes with a number that reframes everything: 90% of clinicians admit they lack confidence treating perimenopause — and Dr Foong counts herself among them.

Chapters

00:00 | Intro — Nobody Said the Word Perimenopause

03:01 | Why Perimenopause Gets Missed by Doctors

06:08 | Cholesterol Climbs — and Women Blame Themselves

11:15 | The Study That Scared Women Off HRT for Two Decades

15:28 | What HRT Actually Does — Benefits, Risks, and Timing

19:21 | "Within Range" Is Not the Same as Optimal

24:41 | Why Bad Sleep Is a Daytime Problem, Not a Bedtime One

28:05 | The Two-Minute Daytime Reset That Fixes Sleep

32:19 | The Perimenopause Supplement Stack, Evidence-Ranked

39:41 | Exercise, Immunity, and Weight Gain in Midlife

42:49 | Uma's Mother Was Suffering — and Uma Didn't Know

43:46 | 90% of Doctors Didn't Know — Including This One

45:46 | Where to Start If You've Done Nothing

About Dr. Tsin Uin Foong

Dr. Tsin Uin Foong is a physician, healthcare leader, and Co-Founder of Osler Group, where she serves as Chief Medical Officer of Osler Health International in Singapore. With more than 25 years of clinical experience, she specializes in primary care, preventive health, wellness, and longevity medicine. Dr. Foong is also a medical educator, healthcare innovator, and sought-after speaker on topics including healthtech, AI, and the future of healthcare. Her work focuses on delivering personalized, holistic care while shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs.

Dr. Foong on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tsinuin-foong/

Raw With Uma

Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470  

Follow RAW with Uma: 

📱 On Instagram →   https://instagram.com/rawwithuma 

Follow Uma Thana: 

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram →  https://instagram.com/uma_raw

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn →   https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana 

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast →  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768

🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e

Share this episode with a woman who's been told her tests are "normal" while she still feels exhausted, anxious, gaining weight, or struggling with sleep. And if you've ever felt dismissed, confused, or left searching for answers about perimenopause, hormones, or midlife health, drop your experience in the comments.

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