Dijkstra was born in Franeker, and she completed her secondary education in Sneek and Leeuwarden with a gymnasium diploma.

Dijkstra became a reporter for the NCRV current affairs program Hier en Nu [nl] in 1986.

[1] She was news anchor of the NOS Journaal from 1988 until 2000, and she hosted several television and radio shows such as Vinger aan de Pols [nl] and Het Kinderziekenhuis in the following decade for AVRO.

[1][2] She served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2021, focusing on issues such as healthcare, medical ethics, and emancipation.

[4] Proposed legislation by Dijkstra to allow for euthanasia in the absence of intolerable suffering for those over 75 years of age did not garner enough support.