The Influence of Estrogen on the Thermoregulatory Responses to Heat Stress in Pre and Postmenopausal Women
Penn State University
Summary
The frequency and severity of heat waves has increased in the last decades. Older adults (over 65 years) have impaired responses to heat stress making them at increased risk for adverse events. Previous heat waves report that women over 65 experience worse health outcomes than any other age group and age matched men. Aging and reproductive hormones, specifically estrogen, independently alter responses to heat stress. However, the combined effects of low estrogen following menopause and aging on the response to heat stress are unknown. In this study, the investigators will identify the role of estrogen in pre and post menopausal women on thermoregulatory responses to heat stress.
Description
Premenopausal and postmenopausal women will be recruited and different interventions will be given to each group. To mimic a postmenopausal hormone profile, premenopausal women will be given a GnRH antagonist, which acutely reduces estrogen concentrations. This induces a temporary post-menopausal state without compounding aging effects. Postmenopausal women will be given a transdermal estradiol patch to acutely raise estrogen concentrations. Supplementing estrogen in postmenopausal women allows for the effect of menopausal low estrogen concentration to be removed from the physiological effects…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 42–64 years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Women ages 42-64 Exclusion Criteria: * Chron's disease, diverticulitis, or similar gastrointestinal disease * Abnormal resting exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) * Tobacco use * High-risk determined by the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factor * Assessment * Using hormone therapy * Using hormonal contraceptives
Interventions
- DrugElagolix Oral Tablet
2 x 200 mg tablet
- DrugEstradiol patch
0.05 mg/day patch
- Othercellulose placebo
placebo tablet
- Otherplacebo patch
placebo patch
Location
- Noll LaboratoryUniversity Park, Pennsylvania