In the US, 52 of 90 tests showed abrupt changes linked to menopause — ScienceAlert
In the United States and Israel, researchers analyzed more than 300 million laboratory tests from over one million women and found that the transition to menopause may be accompanied by abrupt changes in various body systems. The work was published in the journal Nature Medicine, ScienceAlert reports.
The authors recorded step-like changes in indicators related to sex hormones, bone tissue condition, liver and kidney functions, blood biochemistry, and lipid metabolism. They were most pronounced for bone tissue metabolism, liver tests, and lipid metabolism indicators.
Data from two cohorts
The research team was led by molecular cell biologist Glenn Pridham of the Weizmann Institute in Israel. The scientists analyzed two large cohorts of women, in the United States and Israel, using a computational approach designed to separate the effects of chronological age from the reproductive stage of life.
According to the US sample, 52 of 90 types of laboratory tests showed statistically significant and sudden changes associated with menopause. The researchers also noted that no such abrupt physiological shifts were found in men, which, in their view, indicates that the changes are linked specifically to the menopausal transition rather than aging alone.
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Hormones and cautions
Physiologist Mia Schomberg, who was not involved in the work, noted that the systems with the most noticeable changes, including bones and the liver, are sensitive to estrogen. At the same time, systems in which no changes were detected have a weaker known connection to this hormone.
The study also found signs of declining levels of anti-Müllerian hormone and estradiol about 15 and 12 years before the end of menstruation, respectively. Follicle-stimulating hormone levels rose approximately 14 years before menopause.
Professor of obstetrics and gynecology Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne cautioned that describing this transition as a physiological cliff could cause anxiety and create an impression of sharp physical or mental decline that the work does not demonstrate. Health scientist Andrew Shelling of the University of Auckland stressed that the study is observational, so its findings are interesting but not conclusive.
