Dr Deborah Leveroy, shares her exploration of the intersection of menopause and autism, drawing on research and lived experiences.
Women’s Health
Small daily bursts of vigorous incidental activity could almost cut cardiovascular risk in middle-aged women.
Just four minutes of vigorous daily physical activity significantly lowers the risk of heart attacks and heart failure in middle-aged women.
Woman walking upstairs Credit Shutterstock
Research from the University of Sydney reveals that an average of just four minutes of incidental vigorous physical activity each day could nearly reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, by half for middle-aged women who do not participate in structured exercise.
“A study led by Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, Director of the Mackenzie Wearable Hub at the Charles Perkins Centre and the Faculty of Medicine and Health, found that engaging in at least 1.5 minutes to an average of 4 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day—completed in short bursts of up to 1 minute—was linked to improved cardiovascular health outcomes in middle-aged women who do not participate in structured exercise.”
High-intensity physical activity incorporated into a daily routine is “vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” (VILPA). Longer sessions of VILPA are associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers suggest that since less than 20 per cent of middle-aged and older adults participate in regular structured exercise, engaging in VILPA could be a beneficial alternative.
“Adopting short bursts of vigorous physical activity as a regular habit could be a beneficial option for women who may not enjoy structured exercise or are unable to engage in it for various reasons. To start, this can be as simple as incorporating a few minutes of activities throughout the day such as climbing stairs, carrying groceries, walking uphill, playing tag with a child or pet, or engaging in power walking,” said Professor Stamatakis.
The study analyzed data from 22,368 participants, consisting of 13,018 women and 9,350 men aged 40 to 79, who reported not engaging in regular structured exercise. This data was collected from the UK Biobank, where participants wore physical activity trackers nearly 24 hours a day for a week, between 2013 and 2015.
Cardiovascular health was monitored through hospital and mortality records, tracking major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, until November 2022.
After accounting for factors such as lifestyle, socioeconomic status, cardiovascular health, co-existing conditions, and ethnicity, the researchers found that women who engaged in more vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) had a lower risk of experiencing major cardiovascular events. Specifically, women who averaged just 3.4 minutes of VILPA daily were 45 percent less likely to encounter a major cardiovascular event. Additionally, they were 51 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack and 67 per cent less likely to develop heart failure compared to women who did not engage in any VILPA.
Even when daily VILPA levels were lower than 3.4 minutes, they were still linked to lower cardiovascular event risk. A minimum of 1.2 to 1.6 minutes of VILPA per day was associated with a 30 per cent lower risk of total major cardiovascular events, a 33 per cent lower risk of heart attack, and a 40 per cent lower risk of heart failure.
However, men reaped fewer benefits from tiny bursts of VILPA. Those who averaged 5.6 minutes daily were only 16 per cent less likely to experience a major cardiovascular event compared with men who did none. A minimum of 2.3 minutes per day was associated with only an 11 per cent risk reduction.
Professor Stamatakis said more testing was needed to understand how VILPA may improve cardiovascular health.
“To date, it hasn’t been clear whether short bursts of VILPA lower the risk of specific types of cardiovascular events, like heart attack or stroke. We aimed to identify minimum daily thresholds and feasible amounts for testing in community programs and future trials,” he said.
“Importantly, the beneficial associations we observed were in women who committed to short bursts of VILPA almost daily. This highlights the importance of habit formation, which is not always easy. VILPA should not be seen as a quick fix—there are no magic bullets for health. But our results show that even a little bit higher intensity activity can help and might be just the thing to help people develop a regular physical activity – or even exercise – habit,” he said.
Researchers explore new methods for quantifying chronic pain in women
Over 70% of chronic pain cases are women. Effective treatment of pain has been hampered by an entirely subjective protocol for measuring pain severity, with variation introduced in patient assessments and physician biases. Credit Arocamora, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chronic pain affects millions of people, with women experiencing more severe and frequent pain than men. Over 70% of chronic pain cases involve women. However, measuring and managing pain remains a complex challenge. There is currently no objective method to quantify pain, which makes it difficult to tailor treatments effectively. Additionally, there are significant variations in how patients experience pain and how physicians respond. A new research initiative aims to address these issues.
Tufts University, in collaboration with external partners, has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an award recipient for the Sprint for Women’s Health. This initiative aims to develop new technologies for quantitatively measuring pain in patients, to improve care and accelerate the development of new treatments. The team will receive $3.03 million in funding over the next two years.
Various factors, such as inflammation, damaged nerves, or conditions like fibromyalgia, can cause chronic pain. Each of these causes may require a different treatment approach. Regardless of its origin, pain is highly subjective and can be influenced by psychological, social, and other factors. While elite athletes and soldiers often train to tolerate high levels of pain, individual reactions to pain can vary significantly among those who experience it.
Standard practice in assessing pain in the clinical setting is entirely subjective—something most of us have experienced if asked to measure it on a chart using smiling to frowning emoticons.
Subjectivity in assessing pain is not just on the patient’s side. Bias also occurs on the treatment side, with some minority groups being undertreated for managing pain compared to the general population.
“Having an objective, quantitative tool to assess pain will help eliminate subjective variables and provide a more rational basis for treatment,” said Sameer Sonkusale, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Tufts School of Engineering and the principal investigator on the project. The project includes collaborators from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU), The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), and Northwestern Medicine.
The research team plans to screen more than 30 biomarkers, including stress hormones, inflammation markers, and neurotransmitters in the interstitial fluid that circulates between skin cells. Additionally, they will monitor physiological responses such as fluctuations in heart rate, galvanic skin response, and breathing patterns.
These biomarkers were identified in earlier studies as linked to a patient’s experience of pain, but this is the first effort to create a composite panel of markers to generate a quantitative score for pain.
The biomarker data will be merged with answers to pain questionnaires collected from women at several sites, including the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management and Northwestern Medicine. Shuchin Aeron, an electrical and computer engineering associate professor at Tufts, will apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to combine these factors into an objective and quantitative pain score.
The researchers will narrow the panel to five or more of the most reliable pain-linked biomarkers. These biomarkers can be monitored on a portable, wearable device for clinical site and remote pain assessment. The results would instantly be reported to the physician or the patient on a smartwatch or ring.
The availability of such devices would not only improve pain management. Still, it could also accelerate the development of new drugs and treatments, which could benefit from an objective measure of their effectiveness.
“While pain reporting is subjective and dependent on many extraneous factors, for the same pain level, the measurable physiological markers and signals are expected to be similar from one individual to the next,” said Sonkusale. “Considering an observed gender bias in the prevalence and approach to treatment of chronic pain, this technology addresses a large unmet medical need for women, creating a path to more effective pain management.”
“It has been extremely challenging to objectively quantify nociplastic pain—the type of pain involving nervous system sensitization in conditions like fibromyalgia that are quite common in women. This study could provide a way to objectively quantify pain in a way that will greatly help their treatment,” said Steven P Cohen, Edmond I Eger Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Northwestern Medicine.
Significant impact of partners’ ADHD on women’s mental health and quality of life new study reveals
A new study brings attention to the often-overlooked challenges faced by women in relationships with partners diagnosed with ADHD. The research reveals that the partners’ ADHD symptoms are associated with higher rates of depression and lower quality of life in women. However, women who engage in health-promoting activities experience fewer depressive symptoms and improved well-being. The findings suggest that ADHD treatment should not only focus on the individual with ADHD but also consider the well-being of their partners, offering new opportunities for supportive interventions. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and develop targeted solutions.
A recent study by researchers Dana Zeides Taubin, Haya Fogel-Grinvald, and Prof. Adina Maeir from the School of Occupational Therapy at Hebrew University brings attention to the often overlooked experiences of women in relationships with partners diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The research investigates the link between partners’ ADHD symptoms and women’s mental health and quality of life, providing valuable insights for both clinicians and couples.
The study’s results show that:
- Women partnered with individuals diagnosed with ADHD may face an increased risk of depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life.
- Partners with ADHD who have more difficulties in daily functioning are linked to higher levels of depression in women and a lower quality of life for them.
- Engagement in health-promoting activities (HPA) by women is positively linked to their quality of life and negatively associated with depressive symptoms.
- Women partnered with individuals diagnosed with ADHD may face an increased risk of depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life.
- Partners with ADHD who have more difficulties in daily functioning are linked to higher levels of depression in women and a lower quality of life for them.
- Engagement in health-promoting activities (HPA) by women is positively linked to their quality of life and negatively associated with depressive symptoms.
This research has important implications for clinical practice and emphasizes the need for a more comprehensive approach to treating adult ADHD. Clinicians are encouraged to take into account not only the individual diagnosed with ADHD but also the experiences and well-being of their partners.
The study suggests that integrating health-promoting activities into therapeutic approaches may benefit partners of individuals with ADHD. This discovery creates new opportunities for developing tailored supportive interventions for this often overlooked group.
New study uncovers therapeutic inertia in the treatment of women with multiple sclerosis
The findings suggest that concerns related to pregnancy may result in delayed or reduced use of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), even before pregnancy is considered.
The study also found that the difference in treatment became apparent after two years of disease duration for DMTs and as early as one year for HEDMTs. Notably, this gender-based treatment gap did not significantly change with patient age, suggesting that therapeutic inertia could persist regardless of the woman’s stage in life.
“These findings emphasize the crucial need to reconsider how we make treatment decisions for women with MS, especially those of childbearing age,” says Professor Sandra Vukusic, the lead author of the study. “Women may not be receiving the most effective therapies at the optimal time, often due to concerns about pregnancy risks that may never materialize. The use of Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMTs) and Highly Effective Disease-Modifying Therapies (HEDMTs) is frequently limited by potential and unknown risks associated with pregnancy, as there is often insufficient data available when these drugs first come to market.”
Both neurologists and patients contribute to therapeutic inertia, with many adopting a cautious approach and avoiding these treatments. “Neurologists may be reluctant to prescribe DMTs, especially if they are not comfortable managing pregnancy-related issues,” explains Professor Vukusic. “At the same time, women understandably do not want to take any risks for their child or pregnancy. Their primary concerns are congenital malformations, fetal loss, and fetal growth disorders. Women will also feel uncomfortable if their neurologist appears uncertain.”
Moving forward, the research team plans to further investigate the factors contributing to therapeutic inertia. They aim to improve treatment strategies prioritizing the long-term health of women with MS and their reproductive goals.
“The main impact of this inertia is the less effective control of disease activity during DMT-free periods, leading to the accumulation of lesions and an increased risk of long-term disability,” emphasizes Professor Vukusic. “This represents a real loss of opportunity for women, especially in an era where DMTs are so effective when used early.”