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Stress and Menstrual Health

The Influence of Non-energetic Stressors on Human Menstrual Function

Who can join

Ages 22 to 38 · Women · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adult pre-menopausal females, 22-38 years old with a BMI of 18.5-30.0
* 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 a BMI \<18.5 or \>30.0
* Individuals with reproductive disorders (e.g. endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS))
* Individuals taking thyroid medications
* Individuals who have undergone or are undergoing menopause
* MVPA \>60 min/week (for Exercise cohort)

About the study

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.

What is being tested

• Heat stress (other)
• Sleep stress (other)
• Exercise stress (other)

Sponsor: Duke University · Participants: 600 · Started: May 28, 2026

Contact the study team

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07566260

Locations in the U.S.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Oct 2, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.