Overview
- The Nature Medicine study, published in October 2026, analyzed more than 300 million lab records from over one million women in the United States and Israel and found abrupt changes in 52 of 90 measured biomarkers around menopause.
- Key reproductive hormones showed long pre‑menopausal trends with anti‑Müllerian hormone declining about 15 years before the last period, estradiol shifting about 12 years prior, and follicle‑stimulating hormone rising around 14 years before the final bleed.
- The analysis linked menopause to accelerated bone loss and rising rates of conditions such as arthritis, gout and cardiovascular disease after the final menstrual period.
- A separate University of Colorado analysis of NIH 'All of Us' data found menopausal status was recorded in only about 14 percent of electronic health records for women who self‑reported being postmenopausal, in part because clinicians do not routinely ask and there is no standard EHR field.
- Researchers and independent clinicians say the findings broaden how menopause is viewed but require prospective confirmation and better EHR capture before changing hormone‑therapy guidance or clinical practice, and they note improved documentation could enable more tailored care and clearer research on long‑term risks.