The impact of menopause on autistic people
Research tells us that neurodivergent people, specifically those who are autistic or ADHDers, can struggle at menopause, a major reproductive transition that affects anyone assigned female at birth. Menopause isn't just something that happens in the ovaries: it is a neurological transition with profound effects on the brain.
In this talk, Dr Rachel Moseley explores the nature of menopause and why it poses challenges for autistic people, contextualising it in relation to other reproductive transitions and drawing on her research to explain what kinds of difficulties people might face and how they might best be supported.
Dr Rachel Moseley is autistic and works as a Principle Academic in Psychology at Bournemouth University. Her research centres on mental health and wellbeing in autistic adults, particularly around suicide and self-injury. Dr Moseley and colleagues conducted the seminal work on menopause in autistic adults, highlighting it as a potential crisis point, and continue to advance knowledge in this limited field.