Menstrual Mind

Unravelling the Menstrual Mind: How Hormones Shape Us We're planning an exciting new research project at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen that will change how we understand women's lived experience in relation to the menstrual cycle. Almost half of all women notice mood changes during their cycle. For some, these changes are small, but for others, they can seriously disrupt daily life, affecting relationships, work, and mental health. When women talk to doctors about these problems, they're often told to "just relax" or that "it's all in their head." But we believe these changes are real and happen because of how hormones affect the brain. Our research will create the first detailed map showing exactly how these connections work! Our future study will follow 20 women throughout their complete menstrual cycles. We'll check in with them every other day to measure how their brains work, what hormones are in their bodies, how they feel and how well they can think. The information we discover could help millions of women by: • Showing that these experiences are based in biology, not imagination • Helping create better treatments for women with severe symptoms • Giving doctors, families, and workplaces better ways to support women • Decreasing the unfair gap in medical research between men's and women's health We haven't started collecting data yet, but when we do, our research will be the most complete study ever done on this topic. Help us solve one of medicine's most overlooked mysteries by donating to this project. By mapping these brain-hormone connections, we're not just advancing science—we're creating the evidence needed to revolutionize healthcare for half the world's population.