Women’s aging research gets a significant funding push
Women live longer than men on average, but spend more years in poor health. The biology behind this gap is barely studied. A new campaign aims to change that.
The Longevity Science Foundation has extended the deadline for its ‘Invested in Her’ campaign to October 1, 2026. The goal is to raise $250,000 for early-stage research into ovarian aging and the menopausal transition. Only 8.8% of NIH funding goes to women’s health research, and only a fraction of that addresses ovarian aging.
Three research pillars
The organisers have structured their efforts around three connected research lines. The first is measurement: developing better tools to quantify ovarian aging and the menopausal transition. The second is biology: understanding why female aging unfolds as it does, and how reproductive aging affects other body systems. The third is intervention: advancing early-stage approaches that treat reproductive aging as modifiable rather than inevitable.
The lack of research has practical consequences. The hormonal shifts surrounding menopause reverberate through cardiovascular health, brain function, and skeletal health. Yet few evidence-based guidelines are specifically tailored to this transition.
A skewed funding landscape
The gap in healthy life years between men and women is a persistent pattern. Women live longer, but their healthy life expectancy (the years spent in good health) does not grow proportionally. Ovarian aging and the menopausal transition are considered contributing factors, but evidence remains limited because the field has historically been underfunded.
The campaign is a private foundation initiative, not a government programme. The targeted projects are early-stage and will undergo scientific review before funding is released. Which specific studies will be funded, and whether the fundraising target will be met, is not yet fully known.
Search terms to explore further: ovarian aging menopause biology | reproductive aging cardiometabolic health | healthy life expectancy sex differences