The HER-BC Study
The Women’s Health Research Institute, in partnership with Pacific Blue Cross and the BC Women’s Health Foundation, investigated the physical and psychological health experiences of midlife women in BC. Focused on the transitions related to menopause, the HER-BC Study asked participants about symptoms, and impacts to daily living, quality of life, work productivity and caregiving responsibilities.
Participant eligibility included:
- Between 39 to 60 years of age
- A resident of BC
- Assigned female at birth
- Identify as cisgender, non-binary, trans, and/or otherwise gender diverse.
The multidisciplinary HER-BC team is comprised of researchers, clinicians, methods specialists and people with lived experience. Their areas of expertise and training include psychology, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pain, and health economics.
This mixed methods study was undertaken in two phases: (1) a comprehensive online survey, (2) in-depth interviews.
HER-BC Report
The Report
We are thrilled to introduce the HER-BC Report, which includes a four-page Executive Summary with study rationale and need for research, and what to expect from the full report, including an overview of the key findings, and recommendations.
Our full list of study team members can be found on the HER-BC study webpage.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the 2,133 HER-BC study participants who devoted their time and energy and contributed their experiential wisdom to this landmark study. We express our gratitude to the students and volunteers who supported this project: Rebecca Friesen, Gloria Klein, Laura Ryan, Vaishali Sharma, and Shiming Wu. We would also like to gratefully acknowledge Sabina Dobrer, P. Stat., the WHRI’s senior statistician who led all aspects of database management and statistical analyses.
Citation
Brotto LA, Adshade M, Booth A, Dewar K, Dobrer S, Gustafson K, Lin Hsieh C, Prestley N, Santana Parrilla J, Smith L, Weir S, Yong P, Ogilvie G. The Health and Economics Research on Midlife Women in BC (HER-BC) Report. Vancouver, BC: WHRI, 2024.
Learn more about HER-BC
This 5-minute video provides a snapshot of the experiences described by HER-BC study participants and report recommendations.
Looking for resources? We compiled perimenopause and menopause related resources, available for download here.
Do you have questions about the HER-BC study? Email herbc@phsa.ca
We would like to thank our partners, the BC Women’s Health Foundation and Pacific Blue Cross.
