MenoPause: More healthy and productive years for Peri-menopausal women

Menopause is a major life event marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years. It is a natural process that 50% of the Dutch population goes through, but the changes in sex hormones can have immediate and long term negative consequences for women’s mental health, physical health, and work ability. In The Netherlands, there is still little recognition for the impact of the menopause on a woman’s life, and associated complaints are under-treated. Although “a pill” alleviating the symptoms actually exist (https://vragen.wetenschapsagenda.nl/node/40495/meer-onderliggende-vragen) in the form of menopausal hormone therapy, lack of evidence on efficacy and side effects have contributed to low use. We are currently unable to predict which women are likely to benefit most from treatment. These challenges are directly related to Cluster question 91 (Pregnancy childbirth, and menopause, can we make them better for women) of the ‘Health care research, sickness prevention and treatment’ route, and the ‘Personalized medicine’ route.

Our core objective is to gain in-depth knowledge on the physiology of perimenopause and to provide individualized guidance to all women, to minimize the risk for adverse events. This will lead to a socio-economic breakthrough by preventing work disability and improving health and wellbeing of women going through the menopausal transition, and thereafter. By drawing on the strength of existing Dutch population-based cohorts we will determine the risk factors for adverse menopausal effects in women of diverse socio-economic and ethnic background. We will identify effects of female sex-hormones on bone, heart, and adipose tissue in state-of-the-art human cell models. We will test the efficacy and safety of therapeutic strategies using randomized intervention studies, with a focus on menopausal hormone therapy. The outcomes will be communicated to women, employers, physicians, policy makers and patient representatives. The MenoPause consortium thus strives to add healthy and productive life years for women.