The Missing Piece in Women’s Health: The Female Brain

For decades, women have been left out of the story when it comes to health research. Here’s a shocking fact: only around 1% of neuroscience research has focused specifically on female brains. One percent.

That means the majority of what we “know” about the brain is based on men and women have been treated as if their biology is the same. Spoiler: it’s not.

Why This Matters

Women’s brains aren’t just smaller versions of men’s. They function differently, they respond to stress differently, and most importantly, they are deeply connected to hormone cycles.

Estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle, and these shifts affect everything from:

• Mood and energy

• Memory and focus

• Stress response

• Sleep patterns

For years, this wasn’t even considered. In fact, women were often excluded from studies altogether because hormone cycles were seen as “too complicated.” Instead of embracing the complexity, researchers ignored it and women paid the price.

What We’re Learning Now

New studies are finally uncovering what women have always known intuitively: our cycles impact our brains. For example:

• During the follicular phase (right after your period), rising estrogen can boost energy, creativity, and social confidence.

• During the luteal phase (after ovulation), shifts in progesterone can influence mood, motivation, and even how the brain processes emotions.

This research is groundbreaking because it means women can finally start to understand themselves on a biological level, not as “moody” or “irrational,” but as cyclical, powerful, and dynamic.

Why We Need More Research

If only 1% of studies are focused on women’s brains, imagine what we’re missing:

• Better treatments for depression and anxiety (which disproportionately affect women).

• Smarter approaches to ADHD, dementia, and migraines (all influenced by hormones).

• More personalised health strategies that actually align with women’s biology.

The truth? Women’s health deserves more than the leftovers of male-focused research.

The Future of Women’s Health

This is not about separating men and women, it’s about acknowledging differences so we can thrive. Understanding the female brain through the lens of hormones is the next frontier in medicine. And the more we learn, the more women can take control of their health, their performance, and their lives.