The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign

The Menstrual Health Monitoring Study will measure four key reproductive hormones in the urine to characterize patterns that predict and confirm ovulation, referenced to the gold-standard of the ultrasound day of ovulation in participants with regular cycles. These normal cycles will provide a reference for comparison to the long, irregular and sometimes anovulatory cycles in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) as well as in athletes with irregular cycles. Other clinical signs in the cycle (menstrual bleeding, temperature) will also be referenced to hormonal changes. Other special circumstances (e.g. the perimenopause and postpartum transitions) will be analyzed in pilot datasets for future study planning.

Research Team

Thomas Bouchard

Alongside his clinical practice in family medicine, he has started a part-time PhD at the University of British Columbia focused on menstrual cycle monitoring. For more details on Dr. Bouchard's clinical work, please see his medical website (Bouchard Medical Home).

Paul Yong

Co-supervisor Dr. Paul Yong is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UBC. He is an expert in the field of endometriosis and pelvic pain and is the Research Director of the Pelvic Pain lab at the BC Women's Hospital.

Patricia Doyle-Baker

Co-supervisor Dr. Patricia Doyle-Baker is a professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Students in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She is a certified exercise physiologist with a Doctor of Public Health and a PhD in chronic disease and exercise outcomes. Her lab is focused on female physiology, health, and performance using mixed method study designs.