Study finds body-wide physiological changes at final menstrual period

Researchers used a computational method to reconstruct changes around the final menstrual period, analyzing more than 300 million laboratory tests from over 1 million women in the United States and Israel from 1999 to 2024. The study, published in Nature Medicine, found abrupt changes across multiple body systems. In the U.S. dataset, 52 of 90 laboratory tests showed statistically significant abrupt changes, including tests related to hormones, bone health, liver and kidney function, blood chemistry and blood fats.

The report said anti-Müllerian hormone and estradiol declined rapidly around 15 and 12 years before the final menstrual period, while follicle-stimulating hormone increased more rapidly around 14 years beforehand. Menopausal hormone therapy was associated with smaller changes in many measures, particularly those related to bone, liver and kidney function. The researchers used retrospective data and self-reported menopause information, and the effects of hormone therapy will need confirmation in future studies.