How body clocks in young women coordinate across sleep, activity, heart, gut, and menstrual cycles
Official title: Confluence of Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and the Menstrual Cycle on Injury Risk in Women
Run by Stanford University · NCT07459764 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will try to see how sleep, movement, heart rate, oxygen, gut signals, light exposure, and the menstrual cycle line up in healthy women aged 18–30 over 28 days.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 30 Years |
| Sex | Women only |
| Enrollment | 20 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Stanford University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Stanford, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 15, 2026 |
| Main results expected | November 10, 2026 |
| Study ends | November 30, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | November 3, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07459764 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Healthy women aged 18–30 with regular 21–35 day menstrual cycles who are not using hormonal birth control and do not have neuromuscular, gut, or circadian sleep disorders are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People using hormonal birth control, those with irregular cycles, neuromuscular or gut disorders, circadian sleep disorders, or outside the 18–30 age range are unlikely to qualify or benefit directly from the findings.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Over 28 days participants wear multiple sensors that continuously record ambient light, sleep, movement, heart rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, lower-limb biomechanics, and gut physiology. Twice during the month participants come to the lab for seven hours of dim-light saliva sampling to measure melatonin, and two blood draws for proteomic profiling are taken during those sessions. Participants also collect daily urine to detect the LH surge and define menstrual phase. The protocol is observational and focuses on correlating peripheral signals with central circadian markers and menstrual timing rather than testing an intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could improve understanding of how different body rhythms interact across the menstrual cycle and inform better timing of treatments or lifestyle recommendations for women.
How similar studies have gone: Individual measures such as dim-light melatonin sampling, actigraphy, and proteomics are established methods, but comprehensive continuous multi-sensor mapping across the menstrual cycle is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Regular menstrual cycle (21-35 days) * 18-30 years old Exclusion Criteria: * Neuromuscular or neurodegenerative disease * Gut disorders * circadian sleep disorders * prescription medications affecting sleep * recovering from physical injury * taking hormonal birth control
Where it's running
-
Stanford University
Stanford, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jamie M Zeitzer, PhD — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Lara Weed, BS, MS
- Email: weed@stanford.edu
- Phone: 650-723-2300
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.