Happy Friday,

I’m thrilled to introduce you to award-winning journalist Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, who will be leading today’s special edition newsletter!

Rachel has decades of experience covering health and science, with her work appearing in The New York Times, Newsweek, Vogue, and Nautilus. And, with an extensive background in women’s health and reproductive longevity, she’s the perfect person to break down one of the most overlooked drivers of female aging: the ovaries.

Let’s jump in.

– Erin Hunter

The most important women’s longevity story (that could affect men, too!).

Once upon a time, modern medicine pushed ovaries to the margins of reproduction.

Eggs are half responsible for creating humanity, yet science ignored them.

The myth was that girls start the wild hormonal ride of menstrual cycles, have babies (or not!), and then hit menopause, when our ovaries quietly retire. But emerging science tells a different, louder story.

The “switch-off” of ovarian hormones actually triggers a cascade of changes across the body. A major 2025 Nature study of more than 46,000 postmenopausal women found a distinctive chemical fingerprint of menopause. It triggers over 100 molecular changes that affect the brain, bone, metabolism, and more. It’s the first large-scale evidence that menopause is a whole-body transition.

Why This Matters

Globally, women live five years longer than men on average, no matter race or income. Yet we face higher rates of hip fractures, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and chronic disease. As Dr. Stephanie Faubian, the head of Women’s Health at the Mayo Clinic, says: “It’s not just a medical issue, it’s a social one. Lack of research into ovarian health perpetuates disparities. Women pay the price in lost productivity, poorer health, and shorter health spans.”

Dr. Jennifer Garrison, a neuroscientist at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, puts it bluntly: “The ovaries are the canaries in the coal mine of aging. When they begin to decline, you see signals ripple across the entire body. Understanding those signals is the key to protecting women’s health in midlife and beyond.”

Researchers like Garrison are reframing ovaries as the pacemakers of aging, linking reproductive hormones directly to healthspan. Why is the science so far behind?

Because women’s health has been chronically underfunded. Females were excluded from clinical trials for decades out of fear that pregnancies would cause complications in the data. Even female mice were left out because researchers complained hormonal fluctuations created “noise.” But as Dr. Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain and Your Brain on Menopause, argues: “The noise is the data we want to know!”

Estrogen, she explains, protects the brain for decades. Its decline doesn’t just cause hot flashes; it reshapes brain chemistry, affecting memory, mood, and sleep patterns. Brizendine calls this a “neurological renovation” that demands more science and personalized care.

This lack of research also explains why hormone replacement therapy (HRT) remains misunderstood. The misleading 2002 Women’s Health Initiative report created decades of confusion, depriving women of estrogen’s protective benefits. An entire generation missed out on treatment that could have lowered risks for osteoporosis, heart disease, dementia, depression, and sexual dysfunction.

Brain imaging is beginning to close that gap. Dr. Lisa Mosconi’s 2024 brain scans revealed that as estrogen falls, women’s brains adapt by building more receptors to “catch” every signal. This adaptation correlates with mood and memory shifts,  and underscores why timing matters. Starting HRT within 10 years of menopause can help preserve heart health, bone density, cognitive function, and emotional balance.

Dr. Garrison hopes that research leads to new therapeutics that help women know exactly where they are in their reproductive span, just like they get a Pap smear today.

“Right now, there are no true ovarian therapeutics, no intellectual property,” she says. “ Our vision is to sync up ovarian aging with the rest of the body, so women’s healthspan can finally match their lifespan.”

Industry Spotlight

Investment in ovarian health is gaining traction. Earlier this summer, Human Longevity, Inc. expanded its $1 million cancer-prevention pledge to cover late-stage ovarian cancer. The move underscores how leaders in precision health are beginning to treat ovarian aging and cancer prevention as core to longevity, not niche women’s health issues. The pledge is paired with advanced screening tools, like liquid biopsies, that could help detect disease earlier and improve outcomes.
👉 Read more

Your health strategy should evolve with your life stage. Here are steps you can take now:

Fertility: Consulting your doctor about tracking ovarian health through FSH, AMH, and antral follicle counts tests, alongside family history. (Our friends at Strawberry Health are now offering at-home testing kits.)
Cool fact: A University of Auckland study shows women with longer reproductive years experience slower brain aging, suggesting lifetime estrogen exposure may protect cognition.

Pregnancy: High estrogen and progesterone remodel the “mommy brain” for efficiency, not decline. Studies show women with more lifetime pregnancies often face lower risks of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline.

Perimenopause: Brizendine calls this the “storm before the calm.” Tracking symptoms and discussing hormone therapy early can protect brain and heart health. A 2025 imaging study found that later-life HT use accelerates tau (the protein found in our brain circuits) buildup in the brain, which is linked to Alzheimer’s, while younger use correlates with lower amyloid/tau.

Menopause and Beyond: Life after periods can be vibrant. HRT, exercise, and preventive care preserve independence and vitality. A 2025 review found women who combined hormone therapy with exercise had stronger bones than with either alone, reducing fracture risk and protecting mobility.

In Case You Missed It

About the Guest Editor

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt is an award-winning editorial director, journalist, and the founder of StoryMade Studio. She has published two acclaimed books about reproductive longevity. She holds degrees from Kenyon College and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Follow her on Instagram @Rlehmannhaupt

Thank you for joining us for this special edition. We’ll be bringing you more expert voices and perspectives on longevity in the months ahead.

Look good, feel better, live longer