Including women across the lifespan: building expert consensus in heat physiology research

Introduction: Ovarian hormones influence thermoregulation, with oestrogen and progesterone altering resting body temperature and the thresholds for sweating, and skin blood flow. These effects span and differ across the lifespan including, the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptive use, pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause, and hormone-replacement therapy. Currently women are underrepresented within heat physiology research, and there is ongoing debate regarding when and how ovarian hormone profiles should be controlled, tracked, or reported, including how testing should be timed across the menstrual cycle and other hormonal states, particularly in applied versus mechanistic research. Therefore, the aim is to engage with the heat physiology international research community, to examine current practises, identify perceived barriers and develop recommendations for the inclusion of women within heat physiology research.
Methods: A sequential, multi-phase mixed-methods design will be used: an anonymous online survey of current and ideal practices, perceptions, and barriers (Phase 1); semi-structured interviews, purposively sampled across career stages and research contexts and analysed by reflexive thematic analysis (Phase 2); and a Delphi consensus process, developing expert-led recommendations from the survey and interview findings, with consensus defined a priori, (Phase 3).
Anticipated outcomes: The study will 1) quantify the consistency of current practice in female inclusion, ovarian hormone classification, and test scheduling; 2) characterise the perceptions, training gaps, and barriers shaping these decisions; and 3) establish a consensus for improved rigour. Recommendations will be built from the community's own responses, so the guidance reflects genuine priorities rather than assumptions.
Conclusions: The result will be the first expert-lead recommendations including women across the lifespan in heat physiology research and considering ovarian hormone profiles aiming to improve rigour, reproducibility, and inclusivity across both mechanistic and applied work.