Women and Parkinson's

Understanding the differences between how women and men experience Parkinson’s is crucial to creating tailored treatments, better care and supportive programming. 

Women experience Parkinson’s symptoms and respond to medications differently than men, they experience more barriers to care, treatment and support, and are underrepresented in research.  

Compared to men with Parkinson’s, women with Parkinson’s experience: 

Differences in 
symptoms and progression  

Differences 
medication 
experiences

Differences in diagnosis and care

Less social support

Differences in symptoms, and progression

Studies have found that women experience the following compared to men:

  • A lower risk of developing Parkinson’s, though the exact reasons for this are still uncertain1.
  • Women are more likely to experience tremor as their first symptom and may have more frequent tremors throughout their progression1. 
  • Women often report more severe non‑motor symptoms, which can significantly impact their quality of life, including1: 
    • Anxiety 
    • Depression 
    • Apathy 
    • Pain 
    • Fatigue 
  • Many women notice their symptoms fluctuate with hormonal changes, including2: 
    • During their menstrual cycle 
    • Before menopause 
    • After menopause 
  • Women may be more likely to downplay or minimize their symptoms3. 

Differences in medication experiences  

Women may respond differently to medications and experience different side effects. Research has shown that:   

  • Small adjustments in medication dosage or timing can lead to considerable changes in symptoms for women with Parkinson’s4.  
  • Women may experience more dyskinesias (involuntary movements) as a side effect of levodopa, which can significantly affect their quality of life1.   

These differences highlight the importance of individualized medication plans and regular communication with a health care team to fine‑tune treatment over time. 

Differences in diagnosis and care 

Women often encounter unique challenges when it comes to receiving a timely and accurate Parkinson’s diagnosis and accessing appropriate care. 

  • Women are less often diagnosed and encounter greater hurdles in getting an accurate diagnosis3.  
  • Women have a higher risk of comorbid conditions, including osteoporosis, arthritis, hip fractures, and depression, which can complicate treatment and daily management5. 
  • Despite evidence that women may experience greater improvements in quality of life after Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), they are less likely to be offered advanced therapies such as DBS1.  

The role of hormones in Parkinson’s  

Estrogen is a hormone that may help the brain’s immune cells stay in a protective state and may play a role in reducing women’s risk of Parkinson’s1. This protection can lower inflammation, which may be linked to Parkinson’s. When estrogen levels drop, such as during menopause, the protective effect may weaken. As a result, inflammation can increase, which may cause Parkinson’s symptoms to get worse over time6.  

Hormone replacement therapy has been studied with conflicting results7. More research is needed to understand exactly how hormones influence Parkinson’s—both in terms of risk and how symptoms change over time. 

Social challenges faced by women living with Parkinson’s     

Women often experience unique challenges which can make managing Parkinson’s even more difficult, including but not limited to:   

  • Family and caregiving roles: Women are often primary caregivers, even when managing their own health. Women with Parkinson’s need family and community support to prioritize their well-being.  

  • Work and social life: Parkinson’s can impact women’s ability to work and maintain social connections.  One study found that 61% of women with Parkinson’s feel the condition negatively affects their self-image, and two-thirds report it interferes with social interactions8. Women-specific support groups can offer a sense of community and understanding.   

  • Pregnancy and parenthood: The number of pregnancies in women with Parkinson’s is small (because most people are diagnosed with the condition later in life), so research on this topic is limited9. For more information on Parkinson’s and pregnancy, visit this page.  

Research for women with Parkinson’s 

Women with Parkinson’s have been underrepresented in clinical research, despite overwhelming evidence indicating that differences between men and women exist. More research is needed to understand the unique needs of women10. The Parkinson Canada-funded ‘Women’s health in Parkinson’s disease’ research project led by Dr. Veronica Bruno aims to understand the unique experiences and challenges faced by women with Parkinson’s in Canada.   

Taking action 

For women navigating living with Parkinson’s, it’s important to:  

Be kind to yourself. Give yourself permission to acknowledge your struggles and remember they are valid.   

Build and lean on a support system that works for you. If it’s available to you, reach out to friends and, family, and utilize outside services to help. Join a support group, ideally one specifically for women with Parkinson’s. Visit our support group page.  

Advocate for yourself and work with your health care team to identify goals for treatment and care. Remember to report all symptoms and medication side effects to your health care team.    

Additional resources on women and Parkinson’s 

Women for Parkinson’s is a national network of dynamic and influential women, established in 2022. This group raises awareness about how women experience Parkinson’s and fundraises for better treatment and research for people with Parkinson’s. Proceeds support Parkinson Canada programs, services, and research. Contact women@parkinson.ca to get involved.    

My Moves Matter is a digital health app designed to meet the specific needs of women living with Parkinson’s. You can enroll in their pilot study that aims to understand the impact of different hormonal life stages on Parkinson’s symptoms. 
Visit mymovesmatter.com for more information. 

Davis Phinney Foundation offers a Women and Parkinson’s resource hub with several webinars, podcast episodes, blog posts and more on the topic of women and Parkinson’s. Visit the Women and Parkinson’s resource hub.   

Re-Illustrating a Stereotype: Women Can Get Parkinson’s Too – This blog post highlights the unique challenges women face with Parkinson’s face and why changing the narrative is essential for better care and research. Read the piece and see the art created by Barbara Salsberg Mathews in this article.  

‘Women & Parkinson’s: Strategies and stories’ webinar features Dr. Indu Subramanian discussing how gender roles may impact care and support, fifteen things that women need to know about Parkinson’s, and more. Li Jiang and Sylvie Parent also share their unique perspectives as women living with Parkinson’s. Watch the webinar to learn more. 

A note on sex and gender

Sex and gender differences can drastically impact health and are important to consider when it comes to Parkinson’s. Sex is a biological identifier generally determined at birth (male or female). A person’s gender can be related to their biological sex or can be expressed differently. While biological sex is fixed, gender expression can be thought of as a spectrum. On this page, we use the term “women” to reflect biological sex.

References

  1. Cerri, S., Mus, L., & Blandini, F. (2019). Parkinson’s Disease in Women and Men: What’s the Difference?. Journal of Parkinson’s disease, 9(3), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.3233/JPD-191683 
  2. Castrioto, A., Hulliger, S., Poon, Y.-Y., Lang, A. E., & Moro, E. (2010). A Survey on the Impact of the Menstrual Cycle on Movement Disorders Severity. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 37(4), 478–481. https://doi:10.1017/S0317167100010490 
  3. Subramanian, I., Mathur, S., Oosterbaan, A., Flanagan, R., Keener, A. M., & Moro, E. (2022). Unmet Needs of Women Living with Parkinson’s Disease: Gaps and Controversies. Movement disorders: official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 37(3), 444–455. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.28921 
  4. Parkinson’s Foundation. (n.d.). Women and Parkinson’s disease. https://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/finding-care/women  
  5. Fullard, M. E., Thibault, D. P., Todaro, V., Foster, S., Katz, L., Morgan, R., Kern, D. S., Schwalb, J. M., Urrea Mendoza, E., Dahodwala, N., Shulman, L., & Willis, A. W. (2018). Sex disparities in health and health care utilization after Parkinson diagnosis: Rethinking PD-associated disability. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 48, 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.12.012 
  6. Usman, S., & Mondal, A. C. (2025). Menopause triggers microglia-associated neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease. Brain Research, 1859, 149649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149649 
  7. Gilbert, R., MD PhD. (2024, May 13). What we know about Parkinson’s disease in women. American Parkinson Disease Association. https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/women-and-parkinsons-disease  
  8. Mathur, S., LaMonica, K., Matthews, H., & Hill, K. (2023). Self-image in women with Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 13(2), 329–332. https://doi.org/10.3233/JPD-230017 
  9. Seier, M., & Hiller, A. (2017). Parkinson’s disease and pregnancy: An updated review. Parkinsonism & related disorders, 40, 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.05.007 
  10. Horbach, O., Dirks, D., Sukar, A. M., Slow, E., Picillo, M., & Bruno, V. (2025). Women’s health in Parkinson’s disease. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 52(S1), S18–S18. https://doi.org/10.1017/cjn.2025.10193 

Back to top