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Joelle Metri

@joellemetri

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PhD Candidate & Cognitive Neuroscience Researcher 🍒

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Help us better understand women’s brain health during menopause 💙

Researchers still have so much to learn about brain fog, memory, concentration and mood during midlife. By taking part in research, you could help build knowledge that may benefit women now and in the future.

Interested in contributing? Click the link in my bio to find out if you’re eligible.

Citation: Metri NJ et al (2025). The MenoStim Trial: Study Protocol for a Randomised, Sham-Controlled, Double-Blinded, Pilot Clinical Trial Exploring the Neurophysiological, Cognitive, Mood and Biochemical Effects Associated with Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation During the Menopause Transition. BMJ Open.

#menopause #menopauseresearch #womenshealth #clinicatrial #brainfog taken in Westmead, New South Wales by @joellemetri

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13 days ago

This is where I go in my dreams. 2 years without my bestfriend 🤍 @mattmetri by @joellemetri

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a year ago

Life with you is sweet 💛 taken in Sydney Town Hall by @joellemetri

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a year ago

Everyone got it right… but there’s more to the story 👀

We asked researchers at NICM and MARCS one question: at what age does menopause start?

Most said around 50, and they’re right. The last period usually happens at around 51.

But menopause is just one moment. The transition starts much earlier. Recent research tracking over a million women found hormones can start shifting more than a decade before the final period.

If you’ve noticed changes in your cycle, sleep or mood:

- Write them down for a couple of months
- Take them to your GP. They can rule out other causes like thyroid or iron, and talk you through your options

Send this to a friend in their mid thirties!

References
Pridham G et al. Population-scale reconstruction of menopause dynamics reveals a physiological cliff at the final menstrual period. Nature Medicine, 2026.
Harlow SD et al. Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10 (STRAW+10). Menopause, 2012;19(4):387–395.

#womenintransition #menopauseawarenessmonth #menopause #perimenopause #womenshealth by @joellemetri

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20 hours ago

Dementia isn’t just about your genes.

Fewer than 5% of Alzheimer’s cases are directly inherited. For most people, risk is shaped by many factors across life, and many of them can be changed.

The 2024 Lancet Commission identified 14 modifiable risk factors that together account for up to 45% of dementia cases worldwide:

Early Life: less education
Midlife: hearing loss, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, depression, head injury, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, excessive alcohol
Later Life: social isolation, air pollution, untreated vision loss.

Addressing these could prevent or delay nearly half of all dementia cases. It’s never too early, and never too late to start.

Pick one habit this week!

#alzheimersawarenessmonth #dementiaawareness #brainhealth #healthyageing #worldalzheimersmonth taken in Westmead, New South Wales, Australia by @joellemetri

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Nature Medicine, a top scientific journal just called menopause a “physiological cliff.”

We read the paper. The science is strong: more than 300 million blood tests from over a million women.

But a cliff is sudden. A fall. Something you don’t come back from.

The data say something different:
→ Hormones start shifting 10–15 years before the final period
→ Mood and sleep changes peak, then settle
→ The study measured population blood tests, not how any woman thinks, feels or functions

That’s not a cliff. That’s a transition.

Words shape expectations, stereotypes and even health outcomes, as @drsarahmckay pointed out. Prof Martha Hickey also noted the study doesn’t show the dramatic decline the word implies.

The science deserves attention. The metaphor doesn’t.

So we’re saying it: menopause is a transition. Women in transition. And we’re still here for all of it.

Which word would you use? Tell us in comments!

Pridham G, et al. Population-scale reconstruction of menopause dynamics reveals a physiological cliff at the final menstrual period. Nature Medicine, 2026. doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04614-0

#womenintransition #menopause #perimenopause #womenshealth #naturemedicine by @joellemetri

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6 days ago

Me n my girls 💛 by @joellemetri

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a year ago

On international women’s day, I celebrate my baby sister 🥰 by @joellemetri

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7 months ago

Our sweet Mila-Joelle turns two today! For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart. 1 Samuel 1:27 by @joellemetri

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5 months ago

Saffron isn’t just for your rice!

The global guidelines on herbs for mental health (31 researchers, 15 countries, co-authored by @joellemetri ) reviewed the strongest evidence available. Saffron made the cut.

✦ Across 14 trials, saffron performed comparably to antidepressants for mild to moderate depression.
✦ In perimenopause, women taking a standardised saffron extract for 12 weeks reported about a third less anxiety and low mood, with greater improvements than placebo.

Studies used standardised extracts, not the pinch in your cooking. And saffron can interact with antidepressants, so talk to your doctor before trying it.

This is episode 1 of our herbs series: one herb a week, tradition vs evidence. Which herb should we test next?

References:
Sarris J, et al. Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: WFSBP & CANMAT Taskforce. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2022;23(6):424–455.

Lopresti AL, Smith SJ. The effects of a saffron extract (affron®) on menopausal symptoms in women during perimenopause: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Menopausal Med. 2021;27(2):66–78.

#saffron #perimenopausehealth #mentalhealth #herbalmedicine #womenshealth by @joellemetri

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8 days ago

Happy birthday to my big sister, my first best friend, the one I’ll always run to! I love you @samarametripost by @joellemetri

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8 months ago

💛🌏 taken in The Entrance North by @joellemetri

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6 months ago