Overview
- The Nature Medicine analysis, published across Oct. 12–13, 2026, examined more than 300 million routine lab results from over one million women in the US and Israel and found abrupt, system‑wide changes tied to the menopausal transition.
- Researchers reported that key hormones begin to change roughly 12–15 years before the last menstrual period, with anti‑Müllerian hormone dropping about 15 years before and estradiol and FSH shifting about 12–14 years prior.
- In the US dataset 52 of 90 lab measures showed statistically significant shifts around menopause, including markers linked to bone density, blood lipids, liver and kidney function, and a post‑menopausal rise in arthritis, gout and cardiovascular conditions.
- A separate University of Colorado analysis of NIH 'All of Us' data found the menopausal status is often missing from electronic health records, with only about 14% of self‑reported menopausal women having a recorded diagnosis, undermining research and care.
- Germany’s Federal Anti‑Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman on Oct. 13 called for a National Menopause Strategy to prevent workplace disadvantage and improve research and clinical services while experts say hormone‑replacement therapy signals in the datasets require prospective trials before changing guidance.