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Girls and women experience large hormonal fluctuations from pre-adolescence to late adulthood. Especially the drastic natural changes in estrogen levels are unrivalled (top figure). These changes start during adolescence, when estrogen levels sharply increase leading up to menarche and the reproductive years. Later in life, levels decline during peri-menopause to low levels post-menopause, signalling the end of menstrual cycles and the reproductive years. During the reproductive years, women also experience, more subtle, monthly hormonal fluctuations due to the menstrual cycle with increasing estradiol levels from the early to late follicular phase (bottom figure). Puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause are thus all critical periods in a female’s life that are characterised by drastic changes in sex hormone concentrations, but these periods are also associated with changes in cognitive, affective, and social processing as well as an increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. |
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Increasing evidence indicates that the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone exert regulatory effects outside the reproductive tract and that effects of these hormones on the brain may influence various behavioral, cognitive, affective, and motivational processes.
The female lifespan research initiative aims to advance our knowledge of how these natural hormonal changes affect cognitive, social, and emotional functioning as well as mental health and well-being in women of all ages. To achieve this the initiative will bring together not only (inter)national researchers, but also health practitioners and societal partners and will thus facilitate the much-needed crosstalk between disciplines and various backgrounds. |
An important goal is to develop a common framework for the investigation of (neuro)cognitive, affective, and social functioning across the female lifespan, e.g., during themed workshops and meetings.
As a first step, we invite everyone interested in the initiative to subscribe to future communications/events. Please note that this website is under constant development, thus feel free to regularly check for updates or to subscribe.
As a first step, we invite everyone interested in the initiative to subscribe to future communications/events. Please note that this website is under constant development, thus feel free to regularly check for updates or to subscribe.
I'm interested in female lifespan research and want to subscribe to receive future updates and communication.
LocationSocial Performance Monitoring Lab Faculty of Social Sciences Wassenaarseweg 52 Leiden University Leiden, the Netherlands |
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