Oestrogen deficiency and biological ageing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does oestrogen blockade in individuals with endometriosis accelerate biological ageing?
IRAS ID
292078
Contact name
Suzanne Pilkington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Does oestrogen blockade in individuals with endometriosis accelerate biological ageing?
Oestrogen loss following menopause is associated with increased ageing in human skin and this can be measured by analysing changes to DNA. This suggests that oestrogen can influence how our body ages. Treatment with gonadotrophin receptor hormone analogues, which block oestrogen production in the body, is common in endometriosis patients. We ask whether the blockade of oestrogen by this treatment increases the rate of biological ageing in these women who are often many years from the natural menopause. Biological ageing refers to the age of your body as measured by different biological markers of ageing, whereas chronological age refers to the number of years old an individual is.
To address this question we will recruit 10 women between the age of 18 and 35 years old who have a diagnosis of endometriosis and who will be commencing short term treatment with gonadotrophin receptor hormone analogues. Patients will be identified from the endometriosis clinic at the University of Manchester Foundation Trust. Eligible particpants will make two visits to the Dermatopharmacology Unit at Salford Royal NHS Hospital where they will have three small skin samples taken before and after their routine treatment course of gonadotrophin receptor hormone analogues. The total duration of participation will be approximately 6 months. In the skin samples we will look for differences in the DNA methylation (the way DNA is packaged) before and after treatment to determine if there is an impact on the biological age of the skin.
This pilot study will allow us to understand how oestrogen blocking treatments affect ageing in women with endometriosis and contribute to our understanding of the role of oestrogen in regulating the ageing process.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SC/0092
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion