12/12/2024
Posted •
This woman is just Amazing❤️❤️❤️ Her research is pioneering and will help us and the generations of sisters, daughters that will too benefit from the discoveries made by this incredible woman!
Yesterday, I had the honor of participating in the first-ever presidential conference on Women’s Health Research (WHR), hosted by
This event marked the one-year anniversary of the WHR initiative, which aims to close the decades-long gap in women’s health research. The initiative was prompted and inspired by the tireless advocacy and dedication to women’s health by 🤍
I delivered a speech centered on women’s brain health, the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, and the role of menopause.
We’ve known since the 1990s that being a woman is the second strongest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, after age. Today, nearly two-thirds of all Alzheimer’s patients are postmenopausal women. Despite some progress, vast unknowns remain. Here’s what we’ve learned:
👉🏻Women’s brains age differently than men’s, and menopause plays a role.
👉🏻”Sex hormones” like estrogen are brain hormones, too, providing neuroprotection against aging and disease.
👉🏻Menopause doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s-it’s a risk factor. While all women experience menopause, not all develop Alzheimer’s. It’s crucial to understand what factors keep some healthy while making others vulnerable.
👉🏻A longer reproductive lifespan, with extended estrogen exposure, may protect against dementia— while estrogen deprivation, especially after early or induced menopause, is linked with an increased risk.
👉🏻The connection with menopause hormone therapy needs more research for clearer insights.
Menopause remains one of the most under-diagnosed, under-researched, under-treated, and under-funded fields in medicine—just like women’s brain health overall.
I concluded my talk by affirming: We owe women centuries of research.
It felt significant to voice this in a room that has the power to effect real change.
SHARE this with anyone who needs to hear it! 🙌
