Trial Parameters
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Brief Summary
The aim of this research is to 1) test how the skin blood vessels and sweat glands function in women who experience hot flushes by using skin microdialysis to deliver small amounts of substances to the skin that cause increased skin blood flow and sweating, and 2) examine the structure of the skin blood vessels and sweat glands in the skin of women who experience hot flushes by taking a very small skin biopsy. Any changes in the function or structure of the skin blood vessels or sweat glands in women with hot flushes would increase our understanding of what causes hot flushes and help to design effective treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged \>45 years for the postmenopausal cohort and aged 18-30 years for the premenopausal cohort * Female * Amenorrhoeic for \>6 months (postmenopausal criteria) * \>4 hot flushes per day (symptomatic postmenopausal criteria) * Eumenorrhoeic with regular menstrual cycles (premenopausal criteria) * Healthy * Non-smoker * BMI 18-30 kg/m2 * No history of cardiovascular or respiratory disease * No history of metabolic disease e.g. type II diabetes * Drink \<14 units of alcohol per week * Not taking any medication or treatments to alleviate hot flushes Exclusion Criteria: * Aged \< 18 years or 31-44 years * Male * Smokers * Medical history of cardiovascular/respiratory disease * Medical history of metabolic disease e.g. type II diabetes * Drink \>15 units of alcohol per week * On medication or treatments to alleviate hot flushes or have taken such medication/treatment within the previous 6 months * BMI of \<18 or \>30 kg/m2 * Vaccination (\<1 week) due to induced system