Members of the research team said the study has the potential to make the University of Calgary a leader in women’s health research
Researchers from various faculties at the University of Calgary have joined forces to launch a novel study that seeks to provide evidence-based interventions for women experiencing symptoms of menopause.
The study is one of the only long-term studies in Canada to comprehensively assess the relationship between physical activity and women’s health across menopause, the university said in a statement Wednesday.
When announcing the launch of the study Wednesday morning, members of the research team said it has the potential to make the University of Calgary a leader in women’s health research, an area they say has been historically understudied and underfunded.
This new study aims to fill that gap, according to Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed, a principal investigator with the MOMENTUM research project.
“The goal is to help women take charge of their health through this menopause journey,” Culos-Reed said. “To inform our health-care providers, to share evidence with clinicians in the community and health-care providers, so that women get the best care possible.”
The study is currently recruiting women aged 40-60 from across Alberta to be a part of the study’s initial cohort of around 1,500 participants.
Funding for the project comes from the Joan Snyder Fund for Excellence in Kinesiology Research, Culos-Reed said.
Menopause affects around 10 million women in Canada, but the lack of menopause-related research means there is no standard of care for clinicians offering interventions to women experiencing symptoms, according to Culos-Reed.
Menopause occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop functioning. The transition period leading up to menopause, when many symptoms start to occur, is known as perimenopause.
Menopause ‘a whole body condition’
According to Culos-Reed, hormonal changes associated with menopause impact everything from cardiovascular health, bones and brains, to social and emotional well-being.
“It’s a whole body condition. Every system is impacted by this huge change in your hormones.”
Symptoms such as migraines, severe cramps, brain fog and mood fluctuations can impact quality of life for decades, Culos-Reed said, citing a statistic that one in 10 women quit their jobs due to unmanaged menopause symptoms.
The core research team behind the study consists of 11 researchers from several faculties at the university, each focused on a different aspect of wellness.
Culos-Reed says the comprehensive approach of the MOMENTUM project sets it apart from most menopause research to date.
“No one has done this, with this comprehensive wellness focus that we’re proposing to do here,” she said.
Evidence collected from annual assessments will allow the team to offer interventions and recommendations on what women should be doing to live better through their menopause journey, Culos-Reed said, noting she sees a lot of contradicting “evidence” circulating online about what women should do to manage symptoms.
“We’re hoping we can build the evidence to say … this is what’s gonna actually help you the most.”
Bone health among substudies
Participants in the cohort study will complete comprehensive assessments of their physical activity levels, brain health, bone health, gut microbiome, emotional and social well-being.
Culos-Reed said the team hopes to track participants long-term to better understand their menopause journeys, contingent on receiving additional funding.
In addition to the cohort study, substudies will look closer at specific issues, such as treatment-induced menopause for women affected by cancer.
Dr. Leigh Gabel is a member of the research team who specializes in bone health.
Gabel’s research aims to look at how strength training through the menopause transition can prevent muscle and bone loss, with the hope of preventing the onset of conditions such as osteoporosis, for which women going through menopause are at a higher risk factor, she said.
“We know that women start losing muscle and the bone pretty quickly as soon as they hit perimenopause,” she said. “Right now, we don’t have much to offer women in terms of evidence-based strategies to prevent muscle and bone loss. And unless women have sustained fracture, typically might not even receive a screening until it is too late and they have lost muscles and bone.”
More research needed in women’s health
Gabel said the amount of money put into women’s health and menopause research is “astonishingly low.”
Culos-Reed cited a statistic that only 3.4 per cent of research funding in Alberta supports female-specific health concerns, less than half of the national average.
Gabel said the issue doesn’t just affect women, citing added pressure that treating menopause-related illnesses puts on the health-care system.
It is estimated that $3.5 billion is lost from the Canadian economy every year due to unmanaged menopause symptoms.
Reed attributed a recent uptick in research on women’s health to an increase in the number of women in positions able to study women’s health.
“When you have different people in those leadership positions, you get diverse questions being asked, you get people asking questions that are relevant to them.”
The MOMENTUM team consists of 11 women researchers who “all have a genuine interest in studying different facets of the menopausal trajectory,” she said.
Reed added: “I think women are just tired of not having answers.”