Survey: 90% of Midlife Women Want Alzheimer’s Blood Tests — But Only 9% of Doctors Bring It Up
A forgotten word. A missed appointment. A name that suddenly refuses to come to mind. In midlife, memory slips can be easy to blame on stress, poor sleep or menopause. But they can also trigger a much more frightening question: Could this be Alzheimer’s?
New survey data suggests women are ready to talk about that possibility — even though few say their healthcare providers have started the conversation.
In a recent national Harris Poll survey conducted on behalf of HealthyWomen, 90% of women ages 45 to 64 said they would be open to a simple blood test that could help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early. Yet only 9% said a healthcare provider had spoken with them about cognitive health.
The disconnect is particularly striking given that one in four respondents said they had already noticed changes in their memory or thinking, and one in three reported a family history of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Women did not simply express interest in testing. An overwhelming 91% said cognitive screening should be as routine as a mammogram or cholesterol test. And 94% said an early diagnosis would give them more time to explore treatment options.
Women Face a Greater Alzheimer’s Burden
Nearly two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women. Yet two in three survey respondents did not know women are more likely than men to develop the disease.
The reasons behind that disparity are more complicated than the statistic suggests. Women’s longer average lifespan explains quite a bit of the difference, Stanford Medicine neurologists say, because Alzheimer’s risk rises dramatically with age. Still, studies that control for age suggest women may face slightly higher odds than men.
Scientists are also studying why APOE4, the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s, appears to raise dementia risk more sharply in women. Estrogen may play a role, but the relationship between menopausal hormone therapy and dementia risk remains unresolved. Stanford experts say dementia risk should not currently drive decisions about hormone therapy.
The steps known to support brain health remain familiar ones: managing blood pressure, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, avoiding smoking and staying socially and cognitively engaged.
What an Alzheimer’s Blood Test Can — and Cannot — Tell You
Interest in testing may be running ahead of both awareness and current medical guidance. Only 13% of the women surveyed were familiar with FDA-cleared Alzheimer’s blood tests.
The FDA cleared the first blood test used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in May 2025. The test measures biomarkers associated with amyloid plaques in the brain and is intended for adults age 55 and older who are already experiencing signs or symptoms of cognitive decline.
Importantly, it is not intended as a routine screening test for people without symptoms, nor can it diagnose Alzheimer’s on its own. Results must be considered alongside medical history, cognitive assessments and other clinical information. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s current guidance, issued in 2020 and now being updated, also found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routinely screening asymptomatic, community-dwelling adults 65 and older for cognitive impairment.
Still, a conversation about cognitive health does not have to begin — or end — with a blood test.
In recent reporting from The 19th, three women described how an early diagnosis gave them the ability to make financial decisions, pursue research opportunities, adopt healthier routines and decide how they wanted to spend their time. As neurologist Elizabeth Bevins told the outlet, “uncertainty is its own burden.”
For women noticing persistent changes in memory, language, navigation or the ability to complete familiar tasks, there is no need to wait for a provider to bring up brain health. Raising those concerns and asking whether a cognitive evaluation or blood test is appropriate may be the first step toward replacing uncertainty with information — and deciding what comes next.
The online Harris Poll survey, conducted on behalf of HealthyWomen, included 2,000 U.S. women ages 45 to 64 who had not been diagnosed with cognitive impairment. It was conducted May 7–19, 2026, and the data were weighted to reflect population proportions. The sampling precision was ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
