Menopause, a natural phase in a woman’s life marking the end of her menstrual cycles, is an important biological transition that significantly impacts aging. Yet, despite its critical role in female health, menopause is often overlooked in scientific research. In fact, a recent perspective in Nature Aging highlights that menopause is considered in less than 1% of studies focused on aging biology. This gap in research leads to inadequate understanding and care for age-related conditions in women. Experts, including Fabrisia Ambrosio, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, emphasize the urgent need for better models and more inclusive studies to address the effects of menopause and other female-specific experiences on aging.

The Overlooked Impact of Menopause on Health

Menopause has far-reaching consequences on women’s health, as it often signals the start of a range of age-related conditions. On average, women live about a third of their lives postmenopausal, but there is a significant lack of data on how menopause affects aging and contributes to diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular conditions, and cognitive decline. This lack of understanding is compounded by the fact that animal models used in research often fail to represent the complexities of menopause.

Fabrisia Ambrosio, director of the Musculoskeletal Recovery Center at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, underscores the importance of recognizing menopause in aging research. “Menopause is intimately connected to aging in women, but we haven’t studied it enough to understand how it influences health outcomes or disease development,” she notes.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Their Role in Long-Term Health

In addition to menopause, other female-specific experiences—such as pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding—also have long-term health implications. These factors can either protect women against certain diseases or contribute to them, but they are also largely absent from preclinical studies, which predominantly use male animals or non-representative female models that have never given birth.

Ambrosio points out that about 86% of women will give birth at some point, yet this critical experience is rarely considered in animal research. This oversight limits the development of effective healthcare strategies for women, as pregnancy and related experiences can influence conditions such as metabolic health, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer risk.

The Consequences of Ignoring Menopause in Research

The lack of data on menopause and other female-specific factors has a direct impact on healthcare outcomes. Women live longer than men, but they often face a higher burden of chronic conditions as they age, including physical and cognitive decline, as well as heart disease. For example, women are more likely to be misdiagnosed when they experience heart attacks or strokes compared to men, and they are at greater risk for developing osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

In terms of osteoarthritis, the condition often worsens in women after menopause, leading to greater mobility impairments in older age. Yet, studies using aging female animal models often fail to replicate this increase in cartilage degeneration, demonstrating a gap between human experiences and research models.

The Need for Better Animal Models of Menopause

One of the biggest challenges in studying menopause is the absence of reliable animal models that can replicate this phase of life. Unlike humans, most animals—such as rodents—do not experience a clear menopause phase. Instead, their hormone levels either stay constant or increase as they age. Some primates, like certain monkeys, undergo menopause, but this typically happens only late in their lifespans, making it difficult to study menopause as a distinct phase in aging.

According to Ambrosio, the lack of appropriate animal models to study menopause is a significant barrier to understanding its role in aging. “There are no perfect animal models for menopause because most animals do not have a persistent post-reproductive phase like humans do,” she explains. Recent research has shown that some whale species and potentially chimpanzees undergo menopause, but these findings are still in their infancy.

Closing the Gender Gap in Aging Research

To address these gaps, experts are calling for a shift in how aging research is conducted. A critical first step is recognizing the limitations of current models and ensuring that menopause and other female-specific traits are considered in studies. As Ambrosio points out, “Over 75% of age-related diseases are likely influenced by menopause, yet it is rarely factored into aging studies.”

Increased funding, better research models, and greater recognition of the role of menopause in aging are essential to improving healthcare outcomes for women. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has already emphasized the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in research, and there is growing support for expanding this to include aging as a critical factor.

Moving Forward: A Call for More Inclusive Research

For meaningful progress to occur, there needs to be a concerted effort to bring together researchers who specialize in aging, menopause, and women’s health. Ambrosio advocates for the creation of collaborative networks to promote research focused on the postmenopausal population, as well as dedicated funding for studies that include female-specific traits.

“I hope in the coming years we’ll see more resources and funding directed toward this area of research,” Ambrosio says. “This is an urgent issue that requires immediate attention, as the health of aging women is something we simply cannot afford to neglect any longer.”

Conclusion: The Future of Women’s Health Research

Menopause is a pivotal phase in women’s health, yet its effects on aging and disease remain understudied. As the scientific community continues to explore the complexities of aging, it is crucial to include menopause and other female-specific experiences in research. By developing better models and conducting more inclusive studies, we can improve our understanding of aging in women and ultimately enhance healthcare outcomes for this population.

 

Source: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-gaps-scientific-data-lead-gaps-care-aging-women