Effect of exercise training intensity on brain and body blood vessel function during perimenopause (The PERI-VASC Study)

About this research

As females enter menopause, blood vessel function can begin to decline due to a reduction in hormone levels in the body.

This study aims to identify the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate intensity interval training (MIIT) on preserving blood vessel function in the brain and throughout the body during menopausal transition.

Who can participate

You're eligible to participate in this study if you:

  • are female
  • are in late perimenopause (=>60 days between consecutive menstrual cycles), if you are unable to track cycle length, you must meet at least one of the following:
    • currently experiencing hot flushes/vasomotor symptoms
    • have a measured FSH level of 25–30 IU/L taken less than 3 months ago
    • are physically able to engage in cycling exercise
    • are free of any pre-existing cardiovascular, respiratory, or metabolic disease
    • are not exceeding current physical activity aerobic exercise guidelines (i.e. 300 min/week of moderate-vigorous intensity exercise).

You will not be eligible to participate if you:

  • are taking hormone therapy or have taken hormone therapy in the last 3 months
  • are under the age of 45 at the time of enrolment
  • are a current smoker/vaper or have smoked or vaped in the last year
  • have a history of cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack and stroke), or diagnosed diseases (e.g., angina, coronary heart disease, carotid artery stenosis, hypertension)
  • have a history of respiratory disease (e.g., COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis)
  • have a history of metabolic disease (e.g., diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, dyslipidemia)
  • are currently taking any medications to treat diagnosed cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases (i.e. statins, anti-hypertensives, diabetes medication, inhalers, etc.)
  • have a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥35kg/m2 and a waist circumference greater than 88cm.

What's involved

As part of the study, you’ll:

  • undergo several tests which assess your current blood vessel function by ultrasound, cardiorespiratory fitness, menopausal symptoms, hormone levels, and body composition prior to beginning exercise training, and following a training period
  • participate in either a HIIT, MIIT or non-exercising control group. Exercising participants will undergo a-12 week exercise training program (3 times a week) at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.

You’ll have the option to participate in a sub-study which will assess how hormone levels change in response to exercise as well as how exercise training can affect this response.

This will occur during 3 of your exercise sessions over the 12 weeks where blood will be sampled before, during and after the exercise session.

Benefits of participating

Participants will:

  • gain insight into their current degree of cardiovascular disease risk
  • be provided with free supervised exercise training
  • be offered the opportunity to participate in the optional sub-study.

Participants opting in to the sub-studies will receive a $20 gift card for each sub-study testing sessions they participate in for a total of $60. These gift cards will be distributed at the end of the study period.

How to participate

If you meet the eligibility criteria and you’re interested in participating, email perivasc@uq.edu.au.

Ethics, data collection and privacy

This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No.2024/HE001370].

Contact

If you have any questions, email the research team perivasc@uq.edu.au.