Hemodynamics After Resistance Training

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Perimenopause

• Registration Number: NCT07022340
• Lead Sponsor: University of Michigan

Brief Summary

Women's blood vessel health gets worse after menopause, or "the change of life". Some women exercise less during menopause. Exercise can improve blood vessel health. The investigators want to know if resistance exercise, like lifting weights, can improve blood vessel health in women who are just starting menopause. The investigators also want to know if lifting weights can improve mood, sleep, and quality of life in women going through menopause. The investigators will have two groups of women for this study. One group will lift weights (do resistance exercise) twice per week, and the other group will get emails with information about menopause. The investigators will measure blood vessel health, sleep, mood, and menopause symptoms at the start and the end of this study and compare women who did and did not exercise.

Detailed Description

Perimenopause is an important time when heart disease risk increases. Perimenopause is also related to worse health-related quality of life, sleep disruptions, and mood. Poor sleep and mood are both related to cardiovascular disease risk. Resistance exercise is effective at reducing cardiovascular disease risk in premenopausal women, and also improves mood, menopausal symptoms, and sleep quality in post-menopausal women. Resistance exercise does not consistently improve vascular function, such as arterial stiffness and blood vessel reactivity, in post-menopausal women. This study aims to investigate the effect of resistance training intervention on vascular function in perimenopausal women. This study will also determine if resistance training improves other novel cardiovascular disease risk factors that tend to worsen in perimenopause, such as sleep quality, mood, and menopause-specific quality of life.

The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial in perimenopausal females. Participants will complete baseline vascular function and exercise testing at baseline. Blood and urine will be collected. Participants will also complete surveys about their sleep, mood, and menopause-specific quality of life. Participants will be randomized to resistance training or control group. Those randomized to resistance training will complete two sessions per week for 16 weeks. The control group will receive a weekly health education email. Following the 16-week intervention or control, participants will complete post-intervention vascular function and exercise testing, and the same surveys as at baseline. Comparisons will be made between the exercise and control groups.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-06
• Study First Submitted: 2025-06-04
• Study Start: 2025-06-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-06-13
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-06-13
• Study First Posted: 2025-06-15
• Last Update Posted: 2025-06-15
• Primary Completion: 2026-03
• Study Completion: 2026-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Vascular function	At baseline and the end of the 16 week study period	Arterial stiffness and wave reflection will be measured at baseline and following the 16-week study period using cuff-based waveform acquisition and applanation tonometry.
Endothelial Function	At baseline and the end of the 16 week study period	Endothelial function will be measured at baseline and following the 16-week study period using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation measured with vascular ultrasound.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mood scores	At baseline and the end of the 16 week study period	Mood will be assessed using validated surveys (PROMIS) at baseline and following the 16-week study period.
Sleep quality	At baseline and the end of the 16 week study period	Sleep quality will be assessed using a validated survey (PSQI) at baseline and following the 16-week study period.
Menopause-specific quality of life	At baseline and the end of the 16 week study period	Menopause-specific quality of life will be assessed using a validated survey (MENQOL) at baseline and following the 16-week study period

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Michigan School of Kinesiology; 🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States