Large-Scale Analysis of Menopause Reveals a Sharp Physiological Shift at the Final Menstrual Period

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Researchers analyzed more than 300 million laboratory tests from over 1 million female individuals to characterize physiological changes relative to menopause.
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A deconvolution method estimated cross-sectional laboratory-test trajectories relative to the final menstrual period without estimating each individual’s menopause timing.
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Across 90 laboratory tests, 52 showed a significant menopause-associated jump in female individuals, with magnitudes ranging from 0.1 to 1.4 SD.
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Menopause-associated jumps spanned nearly all physiological systems, including hepatic, hematologic, renal, skeletal, lipid, and endocrine measures.
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The analysis found no corresponding jumps in male individuals, and reported that hormone replacement therapy normalized the jumps while hormonal changes began more than a decade before menopause.

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