The latest issue of Women’s Health in Focus at NIH explores the menopausal transition, the stage of a woman’s life that generally begins between ages 45 and 55 and ends at menopause, marked by her final menstrual period. NIH has supported several major research initiatives that have studied menopause, including the Women’s Health Initiative and the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). NIH recognizes the importance of the menopausal transition to women’s health and supports comprehensive research to improve our understanding of this life stage and its implications for later-life health. 

The “Scientist Spotlight” article features Siobán D. Harlow, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Epidemiology and Global Public Health and the Director of the Center for Midlife Science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a Professor Emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Harlow discusses her experience as a Principal Investigator at the Michigan site of the SWAN and provides advice to women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). 

Additional articles in this issue describe ongoing efforts across several major ORWH initiatives, including a discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted careers of women in STEMM and journal articles related to menopause research and sex as a biological variable.
 
Access the issue here. 

For more information on women’s health research, women in biomedical careers, recent and upcoming ORWH activities, and funding opportunities for research on sex and gender differences and women’s health, subscribe to Women’s Health in Focus at NIH free.