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In 1994, the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) was initiated with funding from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Nursing Research and the Office of Research on Women's Health. This unique study characterizes the social and biological health dimensions of women at mid life and includes a focus on understanding the nature and impact of the menopause transition on age-related chronic diseases. Click here to access the SWAN Coordinating Center Web site. SWAN has sites across the United States in seven locations. It involves a large number of African American, Caucasian, Chinese, Hispanic and Japanese women. Because the women were recruited from community samples, not clinic samples, all socioeconomic groups are represented. Initially, 16,063 women, aged 40-55 years were interviewed in the SWAN Cross-sectional Study. From the eligible Cross-sectional Study participants, 3,306 women, aged 42-52 years, were recruited into the Longitudinal Study. In the Longitudinal Study, women are seen yearly for interviews, measurement, and the collection of blood and urine samples. Women also keep menstrual calendars. Click here (PDF) to read more about the
SWAN study designs and measures. For a more complete view of hormone levels during the perimenopausal period, SWAN carries out a substudy of almost 900 women from the Longitudinal Study. This subset of study participants in the Daily Hormone Study (DHS) collect urine samples every day during one menstrual cycle per year. Samples are collected daily to better understand the changes in hormone profiles that occur across the menstrual period as women approach the menopause. Women in the DHS also keep a daily diary (menstrual calendar) during this time, taking note of feelings and events in their lives.
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