Menopause Clinical Trials

The overall objective of this study is to examine the physiological responses that occur during a hot flush in postmenopausal women. The following specific aims will be executed to reach the overall objective of this study. Aim 1: To determine if hot flushes can be reliably induced with a temperature-controlled, water- circulating (TCWC) heating pad. Based on previous research, the investigators hypothesize that hot flushes will be inducible with the TCWC in symptomatic women, but not in asymptomatic women. Aim 2: To determine if heat-induced hot flushes in symptomatic women will cause reproducible cardiovascular and respiratory responses. The investigators hypothesize that heat-induced hot flushes produce similar and reproducible cardiovascular and respiratory responses to spontaneous hot flushes. Aim 3: To determine if body fat percentage influences hot flush severity or frequency during spontaneous or induced hot flushes. The investigators hypothesize that women with higher body fat have reduced hot flash severity and frequency. Read Less

This is an observational longitudinal study to advance the understanding of menstrual cycle and gynecologic health conditions including PCOS, infertility and breast cancer.The study will be hosted within the Research app(available on App Store), which allows a user to find, enroll, and participate in Apple-supported health-related research studies. Read Less

The menopause transition is associated with a decrease in artery health and an increased risk for weight gain in storing fat in the stomach area which may increase the risk for heart disease. The purpose of this research is to study how the decrease in estrogen at menopause changes artery health and fat gain, and risk of disease in women as they age. The first aim in this study will determine whether short term and long term low estrogen levels in premenopausal women decreases artery function and whether this is related to an increase in fat in the stomach area. The second aim will determine whether the changes in artery health and body fat are related to changes in a pathway that breaks down an important amino acid called tryptophan. This pathway is thought to play a role in regulating the aging process. Therefore, the investigators will determine whether the decrease in artery health and the increase in body fat in the stomach region with low estrogen is related to changes in this pathway in the blood, in vascular cells and fat tissue. Because estrogen levels fluctuate in premenopausal women, the investigators will use an approach (intervention) that controls estrogen levels to address these aims. The investigators will use a medication that is typically used to treat endometriosis or uterine fibroids to lower estrogen levels and an estrogen patch to increase estrogen in some women. Some women will receive a patch that has no estrogen (called a placebo patch). The intervention period will be 20 weeks. The study will provide us with new knowledge on how low estrogen with menopause affects artery health and fat gain estrogen. Read Less

Women who experience hot flashes are at greater risk for hypertension and other cardiovascular disease. Neurovascular control mechanisms are likely to play an important role in this relationship. As such, these studies are designed to provide a major step forward in understanding the link between hot flashes and neurovascular dysfunction and, by extension, cardiovascular disease in women. Read Less

The overall objective of the study is to examine the effect of an 8-hour time-restricted eating intervention on lipid levels and body composition in peri- and recently postmenopausal women with untreated dyslipidemia. Read Less

This is a proof-of-concept phase 2 clinical trial to investigate the effect of the phytoestrogenic supplement PhytoSERM on vasomotor symptoms and other symptoms associated with the menopausal transition, and on blood-based biomarkers in peri- and postmenopausal women. After the screening period, participants will be randomized to PhytoSERM 50 mg pills (administered orally, once per day) or matching placebo, 1:1 allocation, for a period of 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, all participants in the placebo group will be crossed-over to receive PhytoSERM pills for the remainder of the study (open-label phase). Read Less

The menopause transition is associated with increased risk for weight gain and a shift toward storing fat in the belly region, which may increase risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study will determine whether the stress hormone cortisol contributes to this shift. Read Less

Women in the menopause transition (perimenopause) experience substantial day-to-day variability in estradiol and have a 2-4-fold increase in major depression risk. About 40% of perimenopausal women are susceptible to the emergence of affective symptoms tied to changes in estradiol. Among the perimenopausal women with affective impairment, most report irritability, not "depression," is their primary source of impairment and distress. The purpose of this research is to determine the neurophysiologic basis of susceptibility to estradiol fluctuations and irritability symptoms in perimenopausal women. Read Less

The objective of this project is to provide evidence that L-Citrulline (CIT) supplementation can improve vascular function in the fasted and acute hyperglycemia conditions in middle-aged and older women with metabolic syndrome. Read Less

The objective of this project is to elucidate the effect of L-Citrulline (L-CIT) supplementation on vascular function at rest and during rhythmic handgrip exercise and functional sympatholysis via lower-body negative pressure in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure and hypertension. Read Less

The goal of this study is to perform a quantitative assessment of the psychometric properties of the Vulvovaginal Atrophy Questionnaire (VVAQ), a novel patient reported outcome measure (PROM), through a REDCap survey of menopausal women with and without symptomatic vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA)/genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Read Less

The aim of this study is to determine if suvorexant can help treat the severity of insomnia in midlife women who are pre-diabetic. Read Less