Review of the experiences and biopsychosocial impacts of the menopause transition (perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause) on women Veterans

Funding opportunity

Researchers are invited to apply for a new grant funding opportunity sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to conduct a scoping review on the available peer reviewed research and grey literature on the experiences and biopsychosocial impacts of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause on women Veterans’ health and well-being outcomes.

In Canada, little attention has been paid to documenting how menopause affects women Veterans themselves – including the impacts of military service, medical insights for onset and symptoms, how those may differ from the Canadian general population, and understanding the impacts of menopause on women Veterans’ psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing.

This scoping review is required to determine what research and publications exists to date on women Veterans and their menopause transition (perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause) with hierarchical priority of studies which investigate Canadian women Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), other military Veterans, Canadians, and then Veteran populations from Five Eyes countries.

Anticipated timeline and budget

Acronyms

VAC

Veterans Affairs Canada

CAF

Canadian Armed Forces

RCMP

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

SGBA Plus

Sex and Gender Based Analysis Plus

SAGER

Sex and Gender Equity in Research

Background

Women and diverse populations have been historically under- represented in military and Veteran health research, limiting knowledge of their unique health needs, including health risks, prevention, and treatment options. For these reasons, Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to identifying and addressing the systemic health inequities and disparities that affect underrepresented Veterans, including women.

Research objectives

This funding opportunity is seeking submissions from researchers to conduct a scoping review on the available peer reviewed research and grey literature on the experiences and biopsychosocial impacts of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause on women Veterans’ health and well-being outcomes.

Researchers are encouraged to use a broad search strategy so that applicable research from different militaries and contexts is included. Research conducted internationally, including the United States of America, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, should be considered. Sub-analysis or interpretation may be needed for each country to show availability of research and literature between countries and what is most relevant to the Canadian women Veteran population.

Studies from grey literature should be captured in addition to peer-reviewed literature and publications on information about women Veterans’ and the civilian women populations’ experiences with perimenopause, menopause and post menopause are to be included. Sub-analysis or interpretation may be needed to demonstrate generalizability to women Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Research objectives should include:

• Identify research and published literature that includes exploration of perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause from medical, endocrinology, incidence, prevalence, treatments, therapies, and socioeconomic perspectives, ensuring the wider historical social and contextual issues that influence research for menopause are considered.
• Identify literature that takes an inclusive, life course approach to investigating perimenopause, menopause and post menopause for diverse groups of women Veterans (i.e., 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, Black, racialized Veterans, and Veterans with disabilities) with an interest in the unique needs of women Veterans during post-service transition.Identify literature that includes insights into perimenopause and menopausal onset and symptoms using a life course model that factors in military service and uses an intersectional, sex and gender-based lens.
• Identify the health and well-being impacts of menopause on women Veterans and how they differ from the Canadian women population based on the domains of well-being (health, purpose, finances, social integration, life skills, housing and physical environment, and culture and social environment).

Researchers are expected to follow established methods for reviews (e.g., Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA. Some members of the research team should have previous experience with conducting and publishing high-quality literature reviews.

Desired outputs

• Scoping review in the format of a high-quality manuscript, ready for submission to a scientific peer-reviewed journal (please include any publication fees in your application).
• Appropriate PRISMA checklist.
• Comment on any additional considerations for future research and policy approaches or strategies relating to Women Veterans experiences of perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause.
• Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and Sex and Gender Based Analysis (SGBA Plus) approaches followed. To improve health equity across a diversity of Veteran communities, research should incorporate an intersectional lens to assess:
  • social determinants of health, such as military service experiences, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, migration status, age and geography;
  • structural determinants of health, such as racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, historical trauma, discrimination, etc.; and,
  • biological variables, such as sex and age.
• Search strategy should be broadly focused to include:
  • international literature and grey literature, including policy documents and clinical guidelines, if relevant;
  • Women Veterans and the Canadian women population
• Final Report that includes Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Data analysis, Results, Discussion and References, and the other specifications described above.
• Quarterly progress reports provided to VAC.
• Virtual presentation of findings to VAC (may take place after the project end date).

Applicant qualifications and requirements

• Principal investigator on the project must have a doctoral degree (PhD, MD or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (Military and/or Veteran research, Health, Social Sciences, Nursing, Medicine, Gender Studies);
• All appropriate academic research guidelines must be followed, including, when required, a research ethics board approval from an accredited academic institution in Canada. If applicable, documentation will be required prior to funding being issued.
• Some members of the research team should have previous experience with conducting and publishing systematic or scoping reviews.
• Have experience in conducting intersectional analyses;
• Have experience in conducting trauma-informed research; and
• Have at least one of the following: publications, research grants, awards, or projects, as a proven record of carrying out social scientific research with the women Veteran population.

Glossary

Menopause Transition

Includes three stages: Perimenopause, Menopause and Post-menopause.

Menopause

A single point in time when a menstrual period has stopped for 12 consecutive months in a non-pregnant female. Hormone levels decline and the ovaries no longer release an egg every month. Menopause can occur naturally (i.e. the spontaneous ending of menstruation not caused by disease or intervention), prematurely (i.e. primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)) or induced by medical or surgical intervention or disease (i.e. due to bilateral oophorectomy, hysterectomy, or chemotherapy or radiotherapy).

Perimenopause

Time period leading up to the point of menopause (on average 3-8 years) characterized by fluctuating hormone levels, which may cause menopausal symptoms as well as changes to the menstrual cycle, both in flow and frequency.

Post-Menopause

Refers to the stage after menopause and for the rest of a female’s life span.

Women

Women includes people with female biology/anatomy who identify as women, gender diverse or transgender, and those who identify as women without female biology/anatomy.

Veteran

Any person who has completed basic training also known as Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) and was honourably discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) (including Regular Forces, Reserve Forces (Class A, B, or C), Canadian Rangers, and COATS instructors). Veterans also include survivors of the LGBT Purge whose official records of service have been changed to reflect the nature of their discharge.

Application deadline

Please download and submit the Research Funding Application form.

Enquiries

Questions about this funding opportunity can be sent to the VAC Research office.