Why researching sex and gender differences matters

Women are diagnosed on average 2 to 4 years later than men in over 1300 different disorders. These include conditions like depression and anxiety, and Alzheimer's disease, which disproportionately impact women. Most of our medical knowledge, including how to diagnose someone, is based mostly on symptoms for males or the experiences of men. Nam Kiwanuka speaks to world-renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Liisa Galea from CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, about why researching sex and gender differences in health matters and how hormones influence the female brain, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. Got a question or comment? Email us at: [email protected] If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links Dr. Liisa Galea bio https://ims.utoronto.ca/faculty/liisa... Women’s Health Research Cluster https://womenshealthresearchcluster.c... Study: Across Diseases, Women Are Diagnosed Later Than Men https://www.cpr.ku.dk/cpr-news/2019/s... Proper funding for women’s health research could save lives during pandemic https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2020/0... Why women are bearing more of the impact of dementia https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/... Women are diagnosed years later than men for same diseases, study finds https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health... 5 conditions that highlight the women’s health gap https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/5-c... New report identifies a blueprint to close the womens health gap https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/media-ce...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.