Investigating the role and therapeutic manipulation of female sex hormones in asthma

Asthma disproportionately affects females. The role of female sex hormones in asthma has long been appreciated, however, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the relationship between female sex hormone levels and asthma remain largely unknown and represents a significant gap in knowledge. This thesis aims to characterise how female sex hormones, and the manipulation of female sex hormone levels, affects key features of experimental and clinical asthma, in both obese and non-obese populations. This work is described over 6 chapters.