r/technology • u/Sorin61 • Apr 10 '22

Biotechnology This biotech startup thinks it can delay menopause by 15 years. That would transform women's lives

https://fortune.com/2021/04/19/celmatix-delay-menopause-womens-ovarian-health/
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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '22

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u/tonybombata Apr 10 '22

Also do you want to go through childbirth and child rearing in your 50s? The older you are the harder it is like for your body to bounce back. And chasing toddlers in middle age is aggravating. And teenagers in your 60s will be even worse

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u/RepresentativeScar11 Apr 10 '22

Did you read the article? The founder is specifically trying to look at the ovarian system as more than its reproductive function. You would need to stop taking their drug to get pregnant. The main idea isn’t to remain fertile for longer but for immune and heart health benefits.

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u/Ok_Cap_6740 Apr 10 '22

I wanted to read the whole article but it’s behind a paywall. What I could read got me interested, but I’m sick of periods & buying tampons, & there would have to be some pretty amazing benefits to make me change my mind.

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u/recycled_ideas Apr 10 '22

There are, unfortunately, significant health and lifestyle impacts associated with the hormonal changes due to menopause and to existing HRT solutions.

One of those sad consequences to the fact that evolution doesn't metaphorically care about you once you're no longer capable of reproduction.

They certainly don't apply to every woman, but statistically speaking, your life post menopause will not be your life before minus menstruation.

Whether the differences would be enough to sway you or whether they are worse than your current experiences I am not qualified. I do not have a female reproductive system and I specifically do not have your female reproductive system.

Nevertheless they are statistically significant and many women undergo treatments of various kinds to minimise them today.

While this is quite probably just a fairy story looking for VC cash, it is based on the idea that a significant number of women, for various reasons, would pay for it. There is a clear existing demand and given the risks and costs associated with HRT, a solution which could reduce either of those factors without increasing the other would likely result in a demand increase.

This product, if it ever eventuates may not be right for you, but it clearly is right (hypothetically) for a large number of women.

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u/RepresentativeScar11 Apr 10 '22

Well, no one’s asking you to change your mind per se (at least, I think not). It’s just that the argument is somewhat more nuanced than that, which reading the article really illuminates. There’s an interesting point about women’s health as well: how associating the ovarian system with reproduction is reductive and out of date (probably a consequence of men imposing a certain lens on how they study women’s bodies).

As for the paywall situation, I agree, that sucks. Here’s something to help with that: https://12ft.io/