Osphena

Women Veterans are the fastest growing segment of VA users, with most users in midlife. This dramatic growth has created challenges for VA to ensure that appropriate services are available to meet women Veterans' needs, and that they will want and be able to use those services. Furthermore, few VA improvement efforts have focused on women Veterans' health and health care in midlife. The EMPOWER QUERI 3.0 Program is a cluster randomized type 3 hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial testing two strategies designed to support implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices for women Veterans in at least 18 VA facilities from 4 regions.

The post-menopausal state is marked by a sharp decline in estrogen, leading to significant structural and functional changes in the skin, including collagen loss, dryness, thinning, and reduced elasticity. To address these concerns, aesthetic injectables products such as Sculptra® Aesthetic (poly-L-lactic-acid \[PLLA- SCA\]) and Restylane Skinboosters®\[HASBV\] (small-particle hyaluronic acid - SP-HA) can be used. PLLA-SCA stimulates collagen production via cellular activation (biostimulator), gradually improving dermal structure. HASBV enhances hydration, elasticity, and skin texture when injected under the skin. Considering that hydration and laxity represent the primary aesthetic concerns in this patient population. Targeted treatment with SP-HA (HASBV) to improve hydration and PLLA-SCA to address laxity have been shown to produce significant clinical outcomes by directly addressing these key dermal deficiencies. This approach forms the basis of the current study.

This is a randomized, double-blinded, parallel, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of a multivitamin, multi-nutrient supplement on mental and emotional wellbeing in healthy females aged 43 to 55 years, experiencing peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms

In postmenopausal women, obesity increases the risk of physical function decline, premature aging, and vascular dysfunction. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are potent obesity medications. The goal is to determine the effect of weight loss induced by the new generation of GLP-1 receptor agonists on physical function, aging biomarkers, and vascular function in postmenopausal women with obesity.

This study will use a randomized placebo-controlled trial to examine smaller doses of choline and whether a signal in the brain is detectable using fMRI. This study will examine if an even smaller doses of choline can show these similar brain activation and connectivity patterns to the 1650 mg dose. This will be a dose ranging study of 550 mg and 1100 mg oral choline compared to placebo.

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of the hemp-derived minor cannabinoids on symptoms of menopause/perimenopause.

The frequency and severity of heat waves has increased in the last decades. Older adults (over 65 years) have impaired responses to heat stress making them at increased risk for adverse events. Previous heat waves report that women over 65 experience worse health outcomes than any other age group and age matched men. Aging and reproductive hormones, specifically estrogen, independently alter responses to heat stress. However, the combined effects of low estrogen following menopause and aging on the response to heat stress are unknown. In this study, the investigators will identify the role of estrogen in pre and post menopausal women on thermoregulatory responses to heat stress.

The investigators aim to assess the interactions between the sympathetic nervous system and the vasculature in women across the menopause transition to better understand why aging women have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Women are the fastest-growing group of U.S. Veterans. Over half of those using VA care are 45 or older, with more age-related health concerns than civilian women. The VA urgently needs gender-informed strategies to ensure women Veterans receive tailored care that addresses their intersecting mental, physical, and age related health concerns, as well as gender-linked stressors. One prominent example is menopause, a health transition period that, for many women, can be associated with negative physical and mental health concerns that can worsen their functioning and quality of life. This project will: (1) integrate stakeholder feedback to tailor Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopause (CBT-Meno) for women Veterans with menopause concerns; and (2) refine and evaluate tailored CBT-Meno as a treatment to address these intersecting needs in a clinical trial.

Menopause greatly increases cardiovascular disease risk (CVD). Current exercise guidelines are inadequate to ameliorate this risk and higher intensity exercise may be necessary for cardiovascular benefits in postmenopausal females. Oral nitrate supplementation enhances exercise performance and CVD risk profile in several clinical conditions. The investigators recently reported that 3-days of nitrate supplementation in postmenopausal females enhances acute post-exercise vascular function, in an intensity dependent manner. The effects of nitrate supplementation and exercise training over a longer training program remains unexplored. This investigation will examine the impact of exercise training intensity with and without inorganic nitrate supplementation, on CVD and fitness outcomes. Postmenopausal females will be tested for maximal oxygen uptake and lactate threshold before randomization to one of four groups: that inorganic nitrate-rich beetroot juice, or beetroot juice with nitrate extracted; and assigned to one-month of calorie matched high-intensity or moderate-intensity exercise training. Vascular function and fitness will be evaluated before and after training.

The purpose of this study is to examine hypoxic vasodilation and the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in younger premenopausal, perimenopausal, and older postmenopausal women.

The menopause transition is associated with a decrease in artery health and an increased risk for weight gain in storing fat in the stomach area which may increase the risk for heart disease. The purpose of this research is to study how the decrease in estrogen at menopause changes artery health and fat gain, and risk of disease in women as they age. The first aim in this study will determine whether short term and long term low estrogen levels in premenopausal women decreases artery function and whether this is related to an increase in fat in the stomach area. The second aim will determine whether the changes in artery health and body fat are related to changes in a pathway that breaks down an important amino acid called tryptophan. This pathway is thought to play a role in regulating the aging process. Therefore, the investigators will determine whether the decrease in artery health and the increase in body fat in the stomach region with low estrogen is related to changes in this pathway in the blood, in vascular cells and fat tissue. Because estrogen levels fluctuate in premenopausal women, the investigators will use an approach (intervention) that controls estrogen levels to address these aims. The investigators will use a medication that is typically used to treat endometriosis or uterine fibroids to lower estrogen levels and an estrogen patch to increase estrogen in some women. Some women will receive a patch that has no estrogen (called a placebo patch). The intervention period will be 20 weeks. The study will provide us with new knowledge on how low estrogen with menopause affects artery health and fat gain estrogen.