The Influence of Non-energetic Stressors on Human Menstrual Function
Duke University
Summary
The goal of this experimental study is to determine how stressors that do not directly impact energy state or energy demands (hereafter called "non-energetic stressors") affect reproductive health in pre-menopausal women. It aims to do this by answering the following main questions: Do non-energetic stressors create a stress response? How does the stress response impact sex hormone concentration and thus menstrual dysfunction? If stress caused by non-energetic stressors does impact sex hormone concentration, does it do so primarily at the level of the brain or the level of the ovary? Participants will be enrolled in this study for 6 months. For two of these months, they will undergo a short stress intervention and provide samples to measure hormone concentration and total energy expenditure.
Description
The Reproductive Suppression Model posits that due to the high cost and failure rate of human reproduction, the female body maximizes lifetime reproductive fitness by suppressing reproduction during poor conditions (where likelihood of offspring survival is low) until conditions are more favorable. The hormonal mechanism for this suppression when calories are scarce and the female body is in low energy availability (LEA) has been studied. However, the mechanism for this suppression in the presence of stressors unrelated to low energy availability, but which could still negatively impact offspr…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–45 years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult pre-menopausal females, 18-45 years old * Habitually sedentary (less than 60 minutes MVPA/week) for Exercise cohort Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals on hormonal birth control (oral contraception, injection, implant, or intrauterine device) * Individuals with incidence in the last 6 months of childbirth, lactation, pregnancy, or functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) * Individuals with reproductive disorders (e.g. endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)) * Individuals taking thyroid medications * Individuals who have undergone or are undergoing menopa…
Interventions
- OtherHeat stress
Stress-Heat participants will undergo supervised 40-min sessions in a 70-80˚C sauna
- OtherSleep stress
Stress-Sleep participants will be asked to sleep for between 4 and 6 hours per night, with compliance monitored via their activity monitors and self-reported sleep diaries. Participants will be requested to maintain normal wake cycles without midday sleep.
- OtherExercise stress
Stress-Exercise participants will come to the Pontzer Lab to complete a one-hour cycling workout on a Lode Corival CPET ergometer/exercise bike at 60-75% predicted maximum heart rate.
Location
- Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina