For decades, women\u2019s midlife experiences have been largely overlooked by medical research. Despite previous assumptions about midlife mental health risks, relatively little research has systematically investigated the connections between hormonal fluctuations and psychological symptoms.<\/p>\n
Now, researchers from Michigan State University\u2019s Department of Psychology<\/a> are examining the understudied period of perimenopause and its potential impacts on mental health thanks to a $3.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. <\/p>\n MSU Research Foundation Professor Kelly Klump<\/a>, Associate Professor Katharine Thakkar<\/a> and Research Specialist Kristen Culbert<\/a> are conducting the study \u2014 the first to comprehensively examine how hormonal changes during midlife might influence psychosis as well as other mental health outcomes like bipolar disorder. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a noticeable absence of research in this area,\u201d said Culbert, the study\u2019s co-principal investigator. \u201cWe have known there is a midlife spike in psychosis in women that is not observed in men, but we haven\u2019t known why. Our study is the first to examine perimenopausal shifts in hormones in an intensive daily study to see if hormones, not age, predict increased risk for psychosis in women.\u201d <\/p>\n Study background<\/strong><\/p>\n The study will follow 750 women aged 40\u201360 as they collect daily saliva samples and complete detailed questionnaires to help researchers track hormone levels and psychological symptoms. Uniquely, this research captures daily hormone variations, something never before accomplished in previous studies. <\/p>\n Another unique aspect of this study is that the researchers are looking at both estradiol \u2014 an estrogenic hormone \u2014 and progesterone, instead of focusing on estradiol alone. <\/p>\n Klump has shown through previous research that the interplay between estradiol and progesterone has been important in understanding mental health outcomes, like binge eating, that emerge during other developmental phases of life.<\/p>\n \u201cAll women go through this period of life, just like with puberty, but only a subset is vulnerable to experiencing outcomes like psychosis, mood disorders and other mental health concerns,\u201d said Klump, also a co-principal investigator. \u201cIt\u2019s important to do this research to better identify which women may be at risk. From a public health point of view, being able to identify these women could have a dramatic impact on their health care.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking forward<\/strong><\/p>\n The researchers hope their work will lead to better health care approaches, more personalized treatments and increased awareness about women\u2019s midlife experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to help women thrive during this transition,\u201d said Klump. \u201cBy understanding these biological changes, we can develop better support systems and treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n The team of researchers has been excited by the number of women eager to contribute to this work. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause it is such an understudied period of life, and women often feel unheard or forgotten at this phase of life, we\u2019ve seen remarkable interest from women wanting to join the study,\u201d said Culbert. \u201cThe feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants expressing excitement about being a part of this important research and eagerness to learn what it will reveal.\u201d <\/p>\n Culbert and Klump said that the study\u2019s continuation depends on ongoing research funding, citing a critical need for sustained investment in women\u2019s health research. Their research is expected to conclude in early 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For decades, women\u2019s midlife experiences have been largely overlooked by medical research. Despite previous assumptions about midlife mental…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[22352,18,135,48616,19,17,19618,167,31979,12000],"class_list":{"0":"post-105649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-awareness","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-hormones","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-menopause","15":"tag-mental-health","16":"tag-perimenopause","17":"tag-womens-health"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}