A study published in Nature Medicine suggests that menopause may involve abrupt physiological changes beyond the reproductive system, affecting bone metabolism, liver and kidney function, blood chemistry and cholesterol levels. Analysing more than 300 million laboratory test results from over one million women in the United States and Israel, researchers identified distinct changes around the final menstrual period. The findings highlight the potential importance of preventive healthcare before menopause, although further research is needed to establish how these changes affect individual health outcomes.
New Delhi, October 2026 : Menopause may trigger sudden physiological changes across multiple organs rather than simply marking a gradual process of ageing, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine on October 12.
Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science analysed more than 300 million laboratory test results from over one million women in the United States and Israel. They identified abrupt changes in several indicators of bodily health and function around the final menstrual period, suggesting that menopause represents a significant biological transition affecting multiple systems.
The findings challenge the conventional understanding of menopause as an exclusively gradual process. While reproductive hormones begin changing years before menstruation permanently stops, several other biological measures appear to shift more sharply around the final menstrual period.
The research was led by Glen Pridham, Yoav Hayut and their collaborators under the guidance of Professor Uri Alon. The team examined data collected between 1999 and 2024 from two major sources: the United States’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and medical records maintained by Israel’s Clalit health service.
In the US dataset, 52 of the 90 types of laboratory tests examined showed statistically significant abrupt changes around menopause. The tests covered hormone levels, bone metabolism, liver and kidney function, blood chemistry and lipid regulation. Similar patterns in the Israeli dataset strengthened the findings across the two populations.
Hormonal Changes Begin Years Before Menopause
Although several physiological changes appeared more abruptly around the final menstrual period, the researchers found that changes in reproductive hormones began much earlier.
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker associated with ovarian reserve, began declining more rapidly approximately 15 years before the final menstrual period. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which regulates reproductive function, also began increasing more rapidly around 14 to 15 years beforehand.
Oestradiol, a major form of oestrogen, began declining more rapidly approximately 12 years before the final menstrual period. These findings indicate that the biological processes associated with menopause can begin well over a decade before menstruation permanently stops.
To identify the timing of these changes, researchers developed a mathematical modelling method that reconstructs biological patterns relative to menopause. The approach helps distinguish changes associated with the final menstrual period from those attributable to chronological ageing.
“Our study extends the window for potential preventive care to almost a decade before menopause,” Professor Uri Alon said in a statement released by the Weizmann Institute of Science.
The researchers believe this approach could help identify opportunities for monitoring health risks and considering preventive measures before menopause is complete.
Bone, Liver and Kidney Functions May Be Affected
The study found that changes associated with menopause extended beyond the reproductive system, highlighting the importance of examining its wider physiological effects.
Bone health is particularly sensitive to declining oestrogen levels. Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone density, and its decline is associated with increased bone loss and a greater risk of osteoporosis. The researchers identified changes in laboratory measurements related to bone metabolism around menopause.
The liver also showed changes in several measurements. As the liver plays a central role in regulating cholesterol and other fats in the bloodstream, these findings may help researchers better understand changes in lipid levels during the menopausal transition.
Changes were also observed in kidney function and blood chemistry, suggesting that multiple bodily systems may respond to the transition around a similar period.
Another finding concerned blood osmolality, which measures the concentration of dissolved substances in the blood. This balance is partly regulated by antidiuretic hormone, also known as vasopressin, whose activity can be influenced by oestrogen.
Researchers additionally observed changes in the levels of certain substances, including lead, around menopause. They suggested that changes in bone metabolism could potentially contribute to the release of lead stored in bones. However, the precise mechanisms behind this observation remain uncertain and require further investigation.
The researchers cautioned that identifying changes in laboratory measurements does not necessarily mean that every change leads to disease or requires medical treatment.
Men Did Not Show the Same Pattern
To determine whether the observed changes were specifically associated with menopause rather than ageing alone, the researchers compared the findings with laboratory results from men of similar ages.
The analysis found that men did not exhibit the same pattern of abrupt physiological changes around comparable ages. This supports the interpretation that the changes observed in women were associated with the menopausal transition rather than being explained solely by ageing.
The researchers also examined women receiving menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and compared their laboratory results with those of women who were not receiving the treatment.
Measurements from 39 laboratory tests differed between the groups, and several abrupt changes appeared less pronounced among women receiving hormone therapy. The differences were particularly evident in measurements associated with bone, liver and kidney function.
However, the findings do not establish that hormone therapy prevents all menopause-related changes or that it is appropriate for every woman. Decisions about treatment depend on individual symptoms, medical history, potential benefits and risks, and consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.
Findings Could Help Shape Preventive Healthcare
The researchers said the findings could improve understanding of when different organs begin responding to the menopausal transition. This could help scientists identify opportunities for preventive healthcare before the final menstrual period.
However, the study has limitations. It relies on large-scale medical records and population-level mathematical modelling rather than directly tracking every participant’s biological changes over time. Consequently, it identifies broader patterns but cannot predict precisely when or how menopause will affect an individual woman.
Further research will be needed to determine whether earlier monitoring and interventions based on these findings can improve long-term health outcomes. Scientists must also establish which laboratory changes have meaningful clinical consequences and whether specific interventions can reduce associated health risks.
The researchers believe the mathematical approach developed for the study could also be used to investigate other major biological transitions, including puberty, pregnancy and the onset of disease.
Overall, the study presents menopause as a transition that may affect multiple body systems, not merely the end of menstruation. Its findings underline the potential value of understanding midlife biological changes earlier, while emphasising that individual health decisions should be based on clinical evidence and medical advice.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
Disclaimer: This article is based on published research and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
