Major Study Finds Abrupt Changes in Bone, Liver, and Blood Fat Health at Menopause - Video

A new study published in Nature Medicine suggests that menopause may trigger sudden, widespread physiological changes rather than a gradual transition associated with ageing.

Researchers analysed more than 300 million laboratory test results from over one million women across cohorts in the United States and Israel. The findings revealed abrupt changes in several bodily systems around the final menstrual period, including bone metabolism, liver function, kidney function, blood chemistry and lipid regulation. Led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, the study examined 90 types of laboratory tests to understand how menopause affects different physiological systems.

In the US dataset, 52 of the 90 tests showed statistically significant, sudden changes associated with menopause. Researchers also found that comparable abrupt shifts were absent in men, suggesting that these changes were linked to the menopausal transition rather than ageing alone. The most pronounced changes involved systems sensitive to estrogen, a hormone that plays an important role in bone health, liver function and fat metabolism.

The study also identified changes in reproductive hormones well before menstruation ends. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol showed signs of decline approximately 15 and 12 years before menopause, respectively. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) began increasing around 14 years beforehand.

Although the findings offer new insights into menopause, experts have cautioned against describing the transition as a physiological cliff.

Researchers also emphasised that the study was observational and cannot prove that menopause directly caused every change identified.

The findings provide a framework for investigating how menopause affects multiple organs and bodily systems. They could also help researchers explore whether hormonal changes can predict future health risks. Further studies are needed to establish the clinical significance of these changes and determine how the findings could improve women's healthcare.

REFERENCE: Pridham, G., Hayut, Y., Lavi-Shoseyov, N. et al. Population-scale reconstruction of menopause dynamics reveals a physiological cliff at the final menstrual period. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04614-0