Hormonal Regulation of Cardiometabolic Health (HoCa)

The HoCa study investigates how the loss of ovarian function affects women’s health, well-being, and the biological and experiential dimensions of ageing. The study focuses on the effects of oophorectomy, the surgical removal of the ovaries, leading to immediate menopause, and examines its associations with quality of life, cardiometabolic health, central nervous system functioning, and adipose tissue biology.

HoCa integrates a clinical follow-up study, qualitative interviews, and molecular and cellular methods. Participants are examined before and after oophorectomy, allowing the effects of abrupt oestrogen deficiency to be studied with temporal precision. Interviews foreground women’s own experiences of surgical menopause, while three-dimensional adipose tissue models, or adipoids, grown from human tissue samples enable controlled investigation of hormonal effects on adipose tissue function.

By combining physiological, molecular, and experiential evidence, HoCa advances understanding of women’s health across the life course and in the context of ageing. The findings may strengthen the evidence base for recognising the health consequences of surgical menopause and for developing more individualised support for women undergoing this transition.

Funding
Novo Nordisk Foundation (2025-2027)
Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation (2026-2030)
Research Council of Finland (2026-2030)

Research group
Principal Investigator
Eija Laakkonen, Associate Professor, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä

Principal researcher of the interviews (ELNAS-study)
Mari Kuutti, Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä

Other members of Laakkonen group

Collaborators
MENSA study (Academy Researcher Simon Walker), Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä
CURE3D Lab (Senior Researcher Elvira Weber), Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany
Moving Bodies Lab (Professor Cassandra Phoenix), Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities. Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences, Durham University
Wellbeing Services Counties of Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, North Savo, Southwest Finland and North Ostrobothnia
HUS Group

Project website