Annelien and Richelle delve into a topic that is often overlooked, but holds great importance for them as female Parkinson's Disease (PD) advocates.

They shed light on how Parkinson's impacts a woman's life, focusing on the various hormonal stages and how they can affect symptoms and the effectiveness of medication. They bring attention to the challenges of coping with a Parkinson's diagnosis in the face of stigma. Moreover, they discuss the significance of considering sex and gender in treatment and research, emphasizing the need for women to advocate for themselves in order to improve their care and raise awareness among other women. This discussion is open to anyone who identifies as a woman, as well as those who care for PD women, including care partners, family members, health professionals, and researchers working in the field of Parkinson's.

Richelle Flanagan is a registered Dietitian and was diagnosed with YOPD shortly after the birth of her second child. She is an ambassador for the World Parkinson Congress in Barcelona, 2023. She is particularly passionate about two areas (1) the importance of diet for PD and (2) the unmet needs of women with PD. She is a co-founder of the Women’s Parkinson’s Project (www.womensparkinsonsproject.com) and co-founder of a digital health start-up (My Moves Matter ; www.mymovesmatter.com), a digital self-care companion to empower people with Parkinson’s to live better lives.

Dr. Annelien Oosterbaan is 40 years old and got diagnosed with YOPD 7 years ago. She is a proud mother of 4 children and lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She noticed a cyclic pattern in her PD symptoms and when preparing for her last pregnancy she found out there is such a huge lack of knowledge concerning the hormonal impact on PD symptoms. She made it her personal mission to fix this gender gap and started her research project called 'Women and PD' at the Radboudumc Nijmegen (NL). She just launched the online registry for pregnancy and PD, www.pregspark.com, and is one of the authors of the booklet 'In her shoes' (www.yopdwomen.com).