The menopause: why so little research on the middle-aged ovary?

Even the way a woman's decline in oestrogen relates to her symptoms is a mystery, scientists say

When Elena Sanchez-Heras realised the menopause was upon her, she did what she always does when faced with a biological unknown. "I'm a scientist," she said. "I've been trained when you encounter a problem and want to figure it out, you go and seek out original sources."

Sanchez-Heras, now 56, is a cell biologist at University College London and has access to a vast online library of peer-reviewed scientific literature. But she was surprised by the number of questions that remained unanswered - and by the relative lack of research on a process that directly affects women.