Computationally defining perimenopause in big health records for midlife women
Official title: Developing and Validating a Computational Phenotype for Perimenopause in Large-Scale Electronic Health Records
Funded at University of Rochester · NIH-11435538 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-centered project to create a reliable way to identify the perimenopause period in electronic health records, so clinicians can better understand and prevent related health risks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $416,106 |
| NIH project number | 1R21HD123838-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11435538 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Midlife women who have electronic health records available, and who may be experiencing perimenopause.
✕Less likely to help
Women who do not undergo perimenopause or whose data are incomplete may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project will bring together clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience to build a clear definition of perimenopause for EHR data. It will convert this definition into a compute-ready process that uses both structured data (like diagnoses and lab results) and unstructured notes, all aligned to a common data model. The team will test the method using data from the All of Us Research Program and then validate it in the University of Rochester Medical Center records, checking how perimenopause relates to midlife health outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, doctors could identify and manage perimenopause-related risks earlier, improving sleep, mood, bone health, and cardiovascular outcomes for midlife women.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has struggled with inconsistent documentation, but this project aims to create a robust, reproducible method for identifying perimenopause in real-world data.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dreisbach, Caitlin — University of Rochester
- Study coordinator: Dreisbach, Caitlin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Timing of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Brain Aging in Women at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease
This NIH grant explores how the timing of hormone therapy during perimenopause affects brain aging and Alzheimer's risk in women.
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Perimenopause and Brain Aging: Reducing Alzheimer’s Risk in Women
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.