Menopause Transition, Sex Hormone Deficiency and Autonomic and Vascular Function

Description

This is a longitudinal study to determine the influence of the menopause transition on autonomic and vascular function. PI Keller-Ross has published data demonstrating that postmenopausal females have greater sympathetic neural reactivity during a stressor compared with age-matched males and younger females and males. A paucity of literature exists, however, on the role of the menopause transition in autonomic function because the majority of experimental studies on menopause physiology are cross-sectional and/or focused on older, postmenopausal females . The influence of age on HTN is robust, whereas the effects of menopause are still unclear. Preliminary data demonstrate a clear association between age and sympathetic activity in females; how the transition through menopause influences these relations, however, remains unknown. The study will enroll 80 midlife (45-55 years of age) females to measure longitudinally the trajectory of autonomic and vascular function during the transition through menopause. The study hypothesizes that through the menopause transition, an increase in sympathetic activity and an impaired baroreflex sensitivity and endothelial function will emerge.

Conditions

Menopause

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

This is a longitudinal study to determine the influence of the menopause transition on autonomic and vascular function. PI Keller-Ross has published data demonstrating that postmenopausal females have greater sympathetic neural reactivity during a stressor compared with age-matched males and younger females and males. A paucity of literature exists, however, on the role of the menopause transition in autonomic function because the majority of experimental studies on menopause physiology are cross-sectional and/or focused on older, postmenopausal females . The influence of age on HTN is robust, whereas the effects of menopause are still unclear. Preliminary data demonstrate a clear association between age and sympathetic activity in females; how the transition through menopause influences these relations, however, remains unknown. The study will enroll 80 midlife (45-55 years of age) females to measure longitudinally the trajectory of autonomic and vascular function during the transition through menopause. The study hypothesizes that through the menopause transition, an increase in sympathetic activity and an impaired baroreflex sensitivity and endothelial function will emerge.

Menopause Transition, Sex Hormone Deficiency and Autonomic and Vascular Function

Menopause Transition, Sex Hormone Deficiency and Autonomic and Vascular Function

Condition
Menopause
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Minneapolis

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55414

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Female
  • * age 45-55 years
  • * premenopausal
  • * not using any medications determined to affect autonomic function
  • * eumenorrheic
  • * not planning to become pregnant for the duration of participation in the study
  • * English-speaking, literate, willing and able to provide informed consent.
  • * Diabetes
  • * pregnant or breastfeeding
  • * cardiac or pulmonary disorders
  • * severe obesity (body mass index \[BMI\] ≥ 40 kg/m 2 )
  • * hypertension
  • * obstructive sleep apnea
  • * current use of heart or blood pressure medications, current use of hormonal contraceptives or other forms of exogenous sex hormones
  • * report of nicotine/tobacco use in the last six months, report of current alcohol abuse,
  • * history of treatment with chemotherapy/radiation
  • * coagulopathy disorders and/or use of anticoagulant medications, and current use of anxiolytics and/or antidepressants.

Ages Eligible for Study

45 Years to 55 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

University of Minnesota,

Manda Keller-Ross, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Minnesota

Study Record Dates

2030-08-21