Role of Menopause in Thermoregulation

Premenopausal and postmenopausal women will be recruited and different interventions will be given to each group. To mimic a postmenopausal hormone profile, premenopausal women will be given a GnRH antagonist, which acutely reduces estrogen concentrations. This induces a temporary post-menopausal state without compounding aging effects. Postmenopausal women will be given a transdermal estradiol patch to acutely raise estrogen concentrations. Supplementing estrogen in postmenopausal women allows for the effect of menopausal low estrogen concentration to be removed from the physiological effects of aging. Subjects sign an informed consent form and undergo a medical screening prior to participation. The screening includes a physical exam, anthropometry, chemical and lipid profiles. Each subject will complete 6 (3 for each treatment) experimental trials. For each intervention, participants will complete one passive heating experiment first, followed by two active heating experiments.