Stress for Menstrual Dysfunction
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
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.
Who Is on the Research Team?
Herman Pontzer, PhD
Principal Investigator
Duke University Evolutionary Anthropology Department
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for pre-menopausal women aged 18-45. For the exercise group, participants must be mostly inactive (less than 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity per week).Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Baseline
Participants undergo baseline measurements for stress and sex hormone concentrations and energy expenditure
Control
Participants continue with normal activities while undergoing measurements for stress and sex hormone concentrations
Intervention
Participants undergo stress interventions including heat, sleep, and exercise stressors, with measurements for hormone concentrations and energy expenditure
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in stress and sex hormone concentrations and energy expenditure after interventions
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Trial Overview
The study tests how different types of stress—heat, sleep loss, and exercise—affect menstrual health and hormone levels in women. Participants will experience these stressors over two months during a six-month study period.
How Is the Trial Designed?
3
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Sleep restriction to 4-6 hours/night for 5 consecutive nights (on days 3-8 or 4-9 of follicular phase).
Heat stress via 70-80°C sauna exposure for 45-min sessions on 5 consecutive days (days 4-8 or 5-9 of follicular phase).
One-hour cycling at 60-75% predicted max HR for 5 consecutive days (days 4-8 or 5-9 of follicular phase).
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Duke University
Lead Sponsor
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