UCalgary launches MOMENTUM one of the largest menopause studies of its kind in Canada

Calgary, AB – For more than 10 million Canadian women, pre-, peri- and post-menopause causes wide-ranging symptoms beyond stereotypical hot flashes, things that impact their quality of life for decades. A new research project at the University of Calgary, MOMENTUM, aims to tackle menopause head-on and give women the tools and resources they need to live a better life and effectively advocate for their own health.

“It’s about so much more than our ovaries shutting down or the end of a period. The hormonal changes in menopause impact everything, from cardiovascular health, bones, and brains, to our social and emotional well-being. And it hasn’t been holistically addressed with a focus on how women can live well.”

Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD., a principal investigator with MOMENTUM, professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine

Initial support for the project is coming from the Joan Snyder Fund for Excellence in Kinesiology Research, which is aimed at accelerating research to help people live healthy and active lives, with a specific focus on women and girls.

“There’s no standard of care. I started talking to my colleagues to see if they would be interested in developing a cohort over time to gather the evidence needed to better inform resources, interventions and care for all women. We are so fortunate to have the Joan Snyder fund get us started,” says Culos-Reed, who is a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the Cumming School of Medicine.

The MOMENTUM team is a transdisciplinary collaboration, with a core team of 11 researchers based in the Faculty of Kinesiology. Each team member brings a unique perspective within the project, from bone health, microbiome and gut, injury and concussion, exercise physiology, metabolic health, dance, reproductive history and brain aging, psychology, and the intersections of cancer and menopause.

They have developed a cohort study with a broad range of assessments, aiming to build a database of participants in the 40–60-year age range who will be re-tested annually. Women’s data will be provided to them in summary form from their assessments and can be used to advocate for their health and wellness during their menopause experiences.

Rhonda Yacey is a member of MOMENTUM’s community advisory board, and she shares that her mother went through menopause in her early 40s, a time when many women are told they are too young to be ‘in menopause.’   

“As women, our bodies are not studied enough, and we often mask our pain and what we may be feeling at the time. I think a lot of times, we blow things off as it’s just ‘that time of month,’ but it could be a symptom of a larger thing. I found things out through this project related to my own severe pain that I wish I could have known in my 20s—maybe I could have done different things that would have helped me now.”

Rhonda Yacey, MOMENTUM advisory board member

The project aims to move their work quickly into practice, developing resources that are evidence-based that support meaningful wellness for women. Culos-Reed is hopeful the evidence could also inform healthcare provider education, ensuring that women have access to ‘best evidence’ to make their informed health and wellness decisions during menopause.

“How impactful would it be if our evidence could start to inform what healthcare providers are taught?” says Culos-Reed. “We will have participants completing these comprehensive assessments across the menopause journey on physical activity levels, brain health, bone health, relationship to gut microbiome, emotional and social well-being – all data that can truly change what we know about wellness during menopause. Our team’s hope is that women’s health becomes a research pillar here at the University of Calgary.”

Learn more: Currently the study is recruiting women from Alberta. Women are invited to learn more and sign up for a screening time here.

The project team includes a multidisciplinary group of scholars from a number of faculties who exemplify the breadth and depth of the research and expertise at the University of Calgary including members of the Faculty of Arts, Taylor Institute of Teaching & Learning, Libin Cardiovascular Institute; Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the HBI, the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the Cumming School of Medicine.

Media inquiries

Sean Myers
Senior Communications Specialist
403.561.7405
sean.myers2@ucalgary.ca

Stacy McGuire
Manager, Communications and Marketing
Faculty of Kinesiology
403.464.3675
stacy.mcguire@ucalgary.ca

About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 37,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary.

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