Researchers analyzed survey responses from more than 1,800 perimenopausal women across 87 countries who use the Flo period tracking app, comparing how many days a week they were physically active against their scores on the Menopause Rating Scale, a standard symptom questionnaire. Women who were active more days a week reported lower symptom burden across physical, psychological, and urogenital symptoms, and the link looked strongest for psychological symptoms such as low mood, irritability, and anxiety. The findings will be presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in late October 2026, where the society's medical director called encouraging regular activity a low risk way to support overall well being.

Researchers at the University of Miami reviewed four studies, covering more than 160 postmenopausal women who could not use hormone therapy, that tested continuous transdermal nitroglycerin, a decades old heart medication delivered through a skin patch, as a hot flash treatment. Against placebo the results were inconsistent and mostly minimal, while one small study with no comparison group recorded daily hot flash frequency falling by up to 69 percent at the highest dose, with hot flashes returning once treatment stopped and headaches affecting up to two thirds of participants early in treatment. The reviewers concluded the patch may modestly reduce hot flashes for women who cannot take hormones, but that the evidence is limited, imprecise, and inconsistent, and that larger, well designed trials are needed before it has any role in care.

Researchers at the University of Miami pooled five studies covering nearly 24,000 postmenopausal women to ask whether hormone therapy use goes along with a heavier migraine burden. About 19 percent of the women experienced migraines, and those using hormone therapy reported more frequent migraine attacks and longer episodes than non users, while migraine severity scores and monthly pain reliever use showed no significant difference. The analysis pooled every form and route of hormone therapy together, and The Menopause Society's medical director cautions that women who already have migraines may be more likely to seek menopause treatment, so the pattern may reflect who chooses hormone therapy rather than an effect of the therapy, which only further trials can untangle. The findings will be presented at the society's annual meeting in late October 2026.

Tulane University researchers followed 277,489 adults ages 40 to 69 who started out free of seven major chronic conditions, in a study published in Nature Communications in October 2026, and estimated how many years of life after age 50 free of major physical disease and of depression and anxiety were lost to loneliness and social isolation. Women experiencing both lost about 2.4 years free of major physical disease and about 3.7 years free of mental disorders compared with women who had neither, with men losing more on the mental health side. Healthy habits around diet, exercise, sleep, and not smoking meaningfully reduced the years lost to social isolation, but not those tied to loneliness, which the researchers say suggests the two problems need different remedies.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science analyzed more than 300 million laboratory test results from over a million women in the United States and Israel, covering 1999 to 2024, for a study published in Nature Medicine in October 2026 that reconstructs how the body changes around the final menstrual period. Hormone shifts begin early, with the egg reserve marker AMH falling about 15 years before the final period and estradiol about 12 years before, but 52 of 90 common lab tests then changed abruptly at the final period itself, including a drop in bone density of about half a standard deviation and jumps in liver markers and blood fats, a step-like pattern the researchers did not see in men, while iron levels and anemia actually improved once monthly bleeding ended. Women using menopausal hormone therapy showed smaller changes in bone, liver, and kidney measures, an observational finding the authors say needs clinical trials to confirm.

Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine compared more than 6,300 postmenopausal women ages 45 and older who started testosterone therapy with closely matched women who had no testosterone exposure, using a large US health records network and excluding women with prior cardiovascular disease, with results to be presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in late October 2026. Over an average follow-up of nearly three years, 3.8 percent of the testosterone group had a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, against 0.5 percent of the comparison group, an association that held up across sensitivity analyses, including when testosterone plus hormone therapy was compared with hormone therapy alone. The researchers call it a potential safety signal that needs prospective study, noting that absolute event numbers were low and that no testosterone product is FDA approved for women, who typically use it off label.

Researchers at University College London pooled 12 randomized controlled trials covering more than 1,000 women in perimenopause and early postmenopause across seven countries, for a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Menopause. Aerobic activities such as walking, dance, and Zumba showed the strongest effects on reducing depressive symptoms and improving overall quality of life, often needing fewer sessions, while mind-body practices such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and stretching produced their strongest gains in psychological quality of life. Benefits were clearest in early postmenopause, and the authors caution that the underlying trials varied widely, many carried a high risk of bias, and more high-quality trials are needed.

Researchers at Fukushima Medical University in Japan surveyed more than 1,600 working women ages 45 to 60 who were in perimenopause or past menopause, measuring menopause symptoms with a standard rating scale and asking about intent to leave work, with results to be presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in late October 2026. After accounting for age, income, caregiving and other factors, symptoms in the psychological domain, which covers mood, irritability, anxiety and exhaustion, had the strongest independent association with thinking about quitting, while physical and urogenital symptoms and caregiving duties were no longer statistically significant once everything else was considered. The researchers conclude that keeping midlife women in the workforce takes more than surface-level workplace adjustments, and point to accessible medical care and mental health support.

The National Rosacea Society published an overview in September 2026 of what research so far says about rosacea in perimenopause, drawing on a 2026 systematic review in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology and earlier published studies. It reports that perimenopause can coincide with both first time rosacea diagnoses and worsening symptoms in women who already have it, as falling estrogen thins and dries the skin, weakens its barrier, and makes facial blood vessels more reactive, while hot flashes themselves can trigger flushing and flares. Standard rosacea treatment does not change in perimenopause, and the society notes the research on this connection is still limited.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center reviewed the original research on two ADHD medicines, the stimulant lisdexamfetamine and the non-stimulant atomoxetine, as possible treatments for brain fog in perimenopause, with results to be presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in late October 2026. Across the studies reviewed, covering women ages 45 to 60, both medicines significantly improved women's own ratings of day to day executive function compared with placebo, and brain imaging in a subset supported those reports, yet on objective tests of working memory and sustained attention the medicines made little to no measurable difference. The society notes that an estimated 44 to 60 percent of perimenopausal women report brain fog and that no FDA approved treatment for it exists, and the researchers call the evidence preliminary.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC followed 51 postmenopausal women who moved from estrogen therapy alone to estrogen plus testosterone, with bone density scans at the start, after at least a year on estrogen alone, and after at least a year on the combination, an average of about four years in all. Estrogen alone did not significantly improve bone density scores, while adding testosterone significantly improved scores at the lumbar spine, with the hip and femoral neck staying stable, and the researchers suggest testosterone may work together with estrogen on the spongy type of bone that dominates the spine. The findings will be presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in late October 2026 and no detailed numbers have been released yet.

Researchers at UT Southwestern randomized 39 adults, 82 percent of them women and averaging about age 50, who had lost more than 10 percent of their body weight on a GLP-1 medicine and stopped it within the previous month, to four months of free medically tailored meal deliveries, a behavioral weight management app, or usual care. In the pilot trial, published in Obesity Science and Practice, model estimates showed the usual care group regained about 11 percent of body weight while the two supported groups taken together regained about 3.6 percent, a difference that held after adjusting for starting weight and prior loss. The researchers caution that the trial was small, weight change was an exploratory rather than primary outcome, and longer studies are needed.

Polish researchers had women ages 40 to 61 use a face cream with either roughly 0.1 percent or roughly 0.25 percent retinol for 12 weeks, reporting in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Both strengths improved hydration, reduced water loss through the skin barrier, and brightened skin, and the two performed about equally on most measures, while the stronger cream caused noticeably more redness and irritation. Wrinkle scores moved in the right direction at both strengths but the changes were too small to be statistically meaningful in this small study.

A study published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, reviewed the records of 260 women treated with hormone therapy in a routine clinical practice. The share reporting severe mood symptoms fell from about 62 percent to about 25 percent, with the largest improvements in women who started out worst affected, and the benefit looked consistent regardless of age, menopause stage, psychiatric history, or antidepressant use. This was a retrospective study with no comparison group, so it shows a strong association rather than proof that hormone therapy caused the improvement.

Researchers followed 6,760 women and 3,248 men in the Framingham Heart Study across three visits over 14 years, tracking pulse pressure, the gap between the top and bottom blood pressure numbers and a marker of stiffening arteries. In women that gap bottomed out and began rising in their late 30s, up to two decades before menopause, and whether menopause came early, late, or on time made no difference to the timing. The authors point to structural changes in the aorta rather than hormonal shifts as the likely driver, and note that a pulse pressure above 60 is worth raising with a clinician.

A national survey published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, asked 313 US family medicine residency program directors how their programs teach menopause care. While 94 percent reported some menopause education, more than half of the directors said their training needs improvement, the content covered varied widely from program to program, and formal checks of what residents actually learned were largely missing. The authors conclude that many family physicians finish training with real gaps in menopause knowledge.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis tracked more than 333,000 adults with type 2 diabetes for three years in a study published in BMJ Medicine. People who stayed on a GLP-1 such as semaglutide or tirzepatide had an 18 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular events than people on an older class of diabetes drug, but those who stopped faced a 22 percent higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death after about two years off the medication, and even six month gaps eroded the benefit. About one in four users stopped entirely.

In a randomized trial in BMC Women's Health, 60 women aged 45 to 60 who had reached menopause within the previous five years did eight weeks of brisk walking, resistance work, core, and balance training three days a week, guided either face to face or through an exercise app at home. Both exercise groups reported meaningfully fewer menopause symptoms, less fatigue, and better sleep quality than a control group given only an information brochure. The app guided group's results were essentially as good as the supervised group's.

Researchers pooled 182 studies of formal volunteering among adults 50 and older for a systematic review in The Gerontologist. The most consistent findings were a lower risk of death and better ability to manage complex everyday tasks, with many studies also reporting higher life satisfaction, fewer depression symptoms, and more physical activity. Benefits looked strongest for people volunteering roughly one to two hours a week, and reported downsides were rare.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a form of scarring hair loss that shows up as a slowly receding band along the front hairline, often with thinning at the outer third of the eyebrows and sometimes loss of body hair. A new review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that diagnoses are rising worldwide and that the condition mostly affects postmenopausal women, advancing slowly, roughly half a centimeter to a centimeter a year. Dermatologists can usually identify it with a careful exam and a magnified look at the scalp, reserving a biopsy for unclear cases.

Researchers combined 10 nurse-measured markers, including blood pressure, lung function, grip strength, walking speed, and blood tests, into a physiological age score for 1,899 English adults age 50 and older. People who went to museums, the theater, concerts, or the cinema at least every few months averaged a physiological age of 66.9 years against 69.9 for those who went rarely, a three year gap, with a small additional benefit for each extra point of cultural engagement.

In 5,520 adults age 50 and older followed for six years in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, having both a large waist, over 88 cm or about 35 inches for women, and blood vitamin D below 30 nmol/L was associated with a 123 percent higher risk of death from any cause compared with having neither. Each factor alone carried a smaller increase, and the researchers describe a feedback loop in which abdominal fat holds vitamin D out of circulation, so each problem can deepen the other.

A review in Trends in Cognitive Sciences pulls together evidence that estrogen helps protect the auditory system and that hearing decline speeds up around menopause. In UK Biobank data on more than 214,000 women, both natural and surgical menopause were linked to a higher risk of hearing loss, and the hearing edge women hold over men through early adulthood narrows at midlife. The authors connect this to brain health, since hearing loss is a recognized modifiable dementia risk factor, and argue hearing checks belong in midlife care for women.

Researchers followed 2,737 women with hot flashes or night sweats in the long-running SWAN study, average age about 54, of whom 755 began systemic hormone therapy, verified from their actual medication containers. Across 224 cardiovascular events, women who started hormone therapy had a 22 percent lower risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or cardiovascular death than women who did not. The lower risk appeared in women who began within 10 years of menopause, with no clear benefit when therapy started later.

An analysis of 74,513 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study asked whether eating patterns predicted new sleep problems over three years. Women whose diets tracked closest to a Mediterranean pattern had about 7.5 percent lower odds of developing insomnia symptoms, and DASH style eating was tied to about 6.3 percent lower odds, after accounting for other health factors. The effect is modest, the design cannot prove cause, and diet was measured with a single questionnaire in a mostly white, college educated cohort.

A study in The Journals of Gerontology followed 27,646 women from the long running Nurses' Health Study II, average age 67, tracking depression, anxiety, loneliness, and wellbeing across the first pandemic years. Women who lived alone but had solid social support fared about as well as women living with others, while lacking support predicted substantially worse mental health whatever the living arrangement, and women living with others but without support reported the highest anxiety of all. Caregiving cut both ways: caregivers who found it stressful had about twice the odds of probable depression and anxiety, while caregivers who reported no stress actually fared better than women with no caregiving role.

Researchers randomly assigned 93 women with below average fitness, none regular exercisers, to six months of aerobic exercise or a stretching and toning program. Postmenopausal women in the aerobic group improved more on executive function, the mental skills behind switching tasks and catching errors, than premenopausal women in the same program and than women who only stretched, with gains visible by three months and holding at six. The gains tracked with improved cardiorespiratory fitness; memory and other cognitive areas did not change.

A study in Archives of Dermatological Research compared electronic health records from 112 healthcare organizations, matching women who used estrogen-containing birth control or hormone therapy with similar women who did not, more than a million patients in all. Estrogen users had a lower recorded rate of new rosacea diagnoses at every life stage, with the largest gap, about 33 percent, in postmenopausal women, and similar patterns for related conditions like perioral dermatitis. The authors caution that the gap could partly reflect differences in who gets seen and diagnosed, and the records could not separate dose, formulation, or duration.

In the BELIEVE trial, published in Nature Medicine, 507 adults with obesity took semaglutide, an experimental muscle-preserving drug called bimagrumab, or both for 72 weeks. The combination produced about 22 percent weight loss versus about 16 percent with semaglutide alone, and roughly 92 percent of the weight lost on the combination was fat, compared with about 76 percent on semaglutide alone. Side effects were common in all groups, and muscle spasms led more people on bimagrumab to stop treatment.

A scoping review in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, looked at how menopause appears in electronic health records and found that stage and symptoms are rarely documented in a structured way. Clinicians often infer menopause from a woman's age, diagnosis codes, or medication list rather than recording it directly, and symptoms like hot flashes, sleep problems, mood changes, and joint pain are captured inconsistently or not at all. Validated symptom checklists exist but are rarely built into the record systems clinicians actually use.

A review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology examined what falling estrogen does to skin and what hormone therapy does about it. As estrogen declines, collagen production drops and skin becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic. Early studies suggest estrogen therapy, topical and systemic, can improve collagen quality, hydration, elasticity, and skin thickness, but the authors are blunt that results across studies are inconsistent and clinical guidance for menopausal skin remains limited.

A study across 16 Japanese companies followed 55 working women in perimenopause, none of whom had ever sought care for their symptoms. Each received one roughly 30 minute counseling session with a gynecologist, in person or by video, combining cognitive behavioral techniques with lifestyle guidance, followed by about four weeks of putting the advice into practice. Among the women with heavier symptoms at the start, symptom scores fell significantly and self rated work performance rose, and video sessions worked as well as face to face ones.

In the STOP-EM trial, 40 perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women, average age 53, were assigned to nine months of twice weekly supervised training that built up to heavy deadlifts, squats, and presses at 80 to 85 percent of maximum plus impact drills, or to a waitlist. The training group gained about half a kilogram of lean mass and added lumbar spine bone density while the waitlist group lost both, strength rose 13 to 30 percent across the four lifts, and the program was well tolerated with no training related injuries.

Researchers surveyed 102 women treated with low dose oral minoxidil for female pattern hair loss, with a median of about a year on treatment. Women rated their hair loss as clearly less severe, falling from 7 to 4 on a 10 point scale, and scores on a hair specific quality of life questionnaire improved significantly. The most common side effect was unwanted hair growth on the face, arms, or legs, reported by about 7 in 10 women, but more than 9 in 10 said it was not a reason to stop.

Mayo Clinic researchers tracked hormone therapy prescriptions in a large national database of US women ages 40 and older from 2007 through 2023. Use fell from 4.4 percent to 1.7 percent, and even among women 50 to 59, the group for whom the evidence is strongest, only 3.5 percent were using it in 2023. Use was consistently lower among Black, Hispanic, and Asian American women, and the authors point to misinformation, limited clinician training, and lingering safety fears as likely drivers.

Researchers followed 574 adults in the national Midlife in the United States study for about nine years. People who reported poor sleep quality at an average age of 52 scored lower on measures of psychological well being nearly a decade later. After accounting for age, health, education, and employment, the link held for women but not for men. The findings were presented at the SLEEP 2026 meeting and published in the journal Sleep's abstract supplement.

A 2026 review in AJMC rounds up where GLP-1 evidence now stands beyond blood sugar and the scale. The standout: in the STEP 9 trial, semaglutide cut knee osteoarthritis pain scores by about 42 points, against about 28 in the comparison group, with less opioid use. The review also repeats a caution Bloomly readers have seen before, that up to 40 percent of the weight lost on these drugs can be lean mass, so protein targets and strength work belong in any plan.

In a randomized controlled trial published in BMC Women's Health, 38 postmenopausal women ages 45 to 65 with moderate to severe hot flashes were assigned either to a supervised 12 week program of twice weekly bodyweight strength training plus three brisk walks a week, or to usual activity. The exercise group saw a clinically meaningful drop in hot flash severity, along with better quality of life and better sleep, while the control group did not improve.

The American Cancer Society expects about 112,000 new invasive melanoma diagnoses in the United States in 2026, including roughly 46,600 in women. Rates have leveled off in younger women but keep climbing by nearly 2.8 percent a year in women 50 and older. About 90 percent of melanomas are linked to UV exposure, and when the disease is found while still localized, five year survival is better than 99 percent.

Researchers surveyed 187 competitive runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes ages 40 to 60, all training at least three days and three hours a week, using a validated menopause symptom scale. Sleep problems affected 88 percent, physical and mental exhaustion 83 percent, anxiety 72 percent, weight gain 67 percent, and joint or muscle discomfort 63 percent. Among women with joint pain, nearly all said it interfered with training, and about a third of the whole group reported moderate to strong negative effects on their training overall. The authors note the survey design cannot capture everything and call for menopause specific guidance for athletic women.

Researchers followed 9,704 women ages 65 and up for a decade, measuring bone density repeatedly, in one of the largest long term studies of beverages and bone. Tea drinkers held slightly higher bone density at the hip than women who drank none, with the difference more pronounced in women with higher body weight. Moderate coffee made no measurable difference either way, but more than five cups a day was tied to lower bone density at the femoral neck, especially in women who also drank alcohol. The differences were modest, intake was self reported, and an observational study cannot prove cause and effect.

Stanford researchers analyzed 21,462 people across two long running research databases, including brains donated for autopsy. Women who had used estrogen-only hormone therapy, most of them after a hysterectomy, had about 35 percent lower odds of Alzheimer's changes such as plaques and tangles in their brain tissue, about 39 percent lower odds of a dementia diagnosis in life, and better memory scores. The finding applies only to oral estrogen taken alone, not to combined estrogen and progestin or to patches and creams, and the researchers stress this is an association, not proof of protection.

A systematic review of 33 studies mapped how menopause changes common skin and hair conditions, and the effects run in both directions. Hair loss, including female pattern hair loss and frontal fibrosing alopecia, and psoriasis tend to become more common or more severe around menopause, while acne and rosacea often improve. Eczema remains common, evidence on melasma and hidradenitis suppurativa is mixed, and the authors call for more research on how hormone therapy affects skin, plus better conversations between women and their clinicians about these changes.

Harvard's Apple Women's Health Study tracked 338 women through more than 94,000 nights of sensor measured sleep in the years before and after their final period. Six in ten women showed more time awake after falling asleep in the 18 months leading up to menopause, and the added wake time after menopause was roughly four extra minutes per eight hour night, about four times what two years of aging alone would explain. In surveys, 84 percent of participants linked their sleep changes to menopause, most often alongside hot flashes, irritability, and mental exhaustion.

University College London researchers pooled 10 studies covering more than one million women in a meta-analysis published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. They found no evidence that menopausal hormone therapy increases or decreases dementia risk, and the result held regardless of when therapy started, how long it lasted, or which formulation was used. Experts caution that the underlying evidence is low certainty and that high quality randomized trials are still needed.

Researchers analyzed the long running SWAN study, which followed women ages 42 to 52 at seven US sites for a decade, with results in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Women with higher insulin levels at age 47 tended to start hot flashes and night sweats earlier and to have them longer, and insulin looked like a stronger predictor than body mass index once other metabolic factors were considered. About 75 percent of women get these symptoms, which can begin two years before the final period and linger up to a decade.

A new review in JAAD Reviews examined topical estrogen formulas, such as 0.3 percent estriol and 0.01 percent estradiol creams, that are increasingly marketed for aging skin. Under the microscope estrogen does stimulate collagen, thicken the epidermis, and support skin repair, but few controlled trials show improvements women can actually see, and results vary by body site and study design. The authors also note benefits look weaker in sun damaged skin, that some hormone is absorbed through the skin, and they urge caution until larger trials are done.

A Johns Hopkins meta-analysis of 64 clinical trials, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found GLP-1 medications worked comparably well across age, race and ethnicity, starting weight, and baseline blood sugar, with one clear exception: sex. Across trials covering roughly 20,000 patients, women lost about 11 percent of their body weight on average versus about 7 percent for men. The researchers point to possible interactions with estrogen, differences in how women's bodies process the drugs, and women's lower median body weight as likely reasons. Tirzepatide was not included because it works on an additional hormone pathway.

An analysis of nearly 67,000 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative, presented at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting, tracked eating patterns against heart outcomes over a median of 8.2 years. Women who most closely followed the planetary health diet, built on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes with modest amounts of fish, dairy, and meat, had a 28 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, along with lower risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Benefits showed up even at moderate adherence, with each step closer to the pattern linked to lower risk.

Harvard researchers analyzed three long-running studies covering more than 147,000 middle-aged and older adults, 79 percent of them women, followed for up to 30 years, with results published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. People who did 90 to 119 minutes of strength training a week had a 13 percent lower risk of dying during the study period, including 19 percent fewer cardiovascular deaths and 27 percent fewer deaths from neurological disease. Pairing strength work with aerobic exercise was linked to up to a 45 percent lower risk of dying compared with staying sedentary.

A study of more than 400 postmenopausal women, published in the journal Menopause, compared women whose menopause came from surgery to remove both ovaries with women who reached it naturally. The surgical group had significantly worse genitourinary symptoms and exam findings, including vaginal dryness, pain with sex or urination, lower sexual desire, bleeding after sex, and frequent urination. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause affects an estimated 27 to 84 percent of postmenopausal women and is routinely underdiagnosed and undertreated.

A study of nearly 20,000 women who went through natural menopause before age 48, followed for a median of about 11 years, found that social disadvantage sharply raised the odds of dying early and of developing dementia. Among 14 social factors the researchers weighed, unemployment had the strongest link to both. Cumulative disadvantage was also tied to higher cardiovascular risk, though not to cancer. The authors call for routine assessment of social circumstances as part of care for women with early menopause.

A review in Post Reproductive Health lays out why the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA matter more for women in midlife. As estrogen falls, the body becomes less efficient at making these fats from plant sources, so what you get from food counts for more. DHA makes up a large share of brain fat and supports memory and focus, higher omega-3 intake tracks with fewer depressive symptoms in perimenopause, and EPA and DHA support blood vessel function and blood pressure. Most women fall well short of the roughly 450 mg a day of combined EPA and DHA the review cites, taking in closer to half that.

Researchers tracked more than 107,000 postmenopausal women in the UK Biobank for about 15 years and found high blood pressure grew more common the earlier menopause arrived: 16.6 percent for women who reached menopause after 45, 18.8 percent for age 40 to 45, and 22.6 percent for those before 40. After accounting for more than 50 other factors, premature menopause carried about a 12 percent higher risk of high blood pressure, and the excess risk appeared years before the usual age 40 marker. The society's medical director says age at menopause should be treated as its own cardiovascular risk factor.

The condition long known as PCOS was renamed PMOS, short for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, in May 2026, to reflect that it involves several hormone systems and reaches beyond the ovaries. It affects roughly 10 million American women. Reproductive symptoms like irregular periods ease after menopause, but androgen levels stay comparatively high and the metabolic side of the condition, including insulin resistance and higher blood pressure and cholesterol, tends to persist or worsen. Harvard notes the risk of endometrial cancer runs higher for these women, roughly one in 11 versus about one in 33 for other women.

A University of Colorado bone researcher warns that three things now overlap for many midlife women: bone loss speeds up as estrogen falls, weight loss itself costs bone even in people who exercise, and about one in five US women aged 50 to 64 have used a GLP-1 medication. She recommends a baseline bone density scan before starting a weight loss drug, prioritizing resistance training rather than cardio alone, and a frank risk conversation with your clinician, especially since roughly two thirds of users stop within a year and regained weight does not bring the lost bone back with it.

Harvard researchers followed 38,283 women in the Nurses' Health Study II across the six years before and after menopause and compared 11 eating patterns, publishing the results in JAMA Network Open. Two patterns stood out for the least weight gain and the lowest obesity risk: the Planetary Health Diet and a diet designed to keep insulin response low. Both share the same backbone, plenty of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with less red and processed meat, fewer potatoes, and less sodium.

An analysis in Frontiers in Medicine pooled 74 randomized trials covering about 3,570 women, nearly all postmenopausal, to map how the amount of exercise affects blood pressure. At the most effective dose, roughly 1,400 to 1,500 MET minutes a week, which works out to around five to six hours of brisk walking or a smaller amount of harder exercise, systolic pressure fell by about 7 points and diastolic by about 4. Every modality helped, from aerobic and resistance work to mind body practice, and the authors rate the certainty of the evidence as low, so the exact numbers are estimates rather than guarantees.

A new study in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, assessed nearly 300 women aged 40 to 64 and found that those with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes reported more frequent and more severe menopause symptoms than women with normal blood sugar, with the clearest differences showing up after menopause. The authors suggest menopause symptom care should be built into diabetes care for midlife women rather than handled as a separate problem.

A study in the journal Neurology followed more than 12,000 adults for around 26 years and found that people who reached midlife free of high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking developed dementia roughly 13 years later than people with all three. Women in the study lived more dementia-free years than men at every risk level, though their lifetime dementia risk was higher, about 40 percent, largely because women live longer. The study is observational, so it shows association rather than proof.

A secondary analysis of a 12-week randomized trial, published in the journal Menopause, found that when postmenopausal women replaced part of their animal protein with plant protein from foods like soybeans, beans, and grains, the swap itself tracked with weight loss, roughly one kilogram for every 16 grams of animal protein traded for 13 grams of plant protein a day, independent of calorie intake. The researchers point to methionine, an amino acid concentrated in animal foods, as a possible mechanism. Worth knowing: the study comes from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group that advocates plant-based eating, so the framing leans in that direction.

Researchers reviewed bone density scans from 387 postmenopausal women and found that the third who used menopausal hormone therapy had about a 69 percent lower risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis at the spine and hip than nonusers. The link held after accounting for age, time since menopause, vitamin D levels, smoking, and other health conditions. The study was retrospective, so it shows a strong association rather than proof, and the findings were presented at a conference rather than published in a journal so far.

A survey of more than 7,600 US women aged 35 and older, published in the journal Menopause, found that 34 percent were unsure whether they had entered perimenopause, and uncertainty peaked at 42 percent among women aged 40 to 44. The biggest driver was symptom confusion, cited by 56 percent, since signs like fatigue, irritability, and disrupted sleep are easy to blame on stress or a busy life. Knowledge gaps and trouble reaching informed care accounted for the rest.

A study in JAMA Oncology followed more than 86,000 adults with overweight or obesity and found that those taking GLP-1 medications had a 17 percent lower overall cancer rate than closely matched adults not on the drugs. The differences were most striking for two cancers that affect only women, with endometrial cancer rates about 25 percent lower and ovarian cancer rates about 47 percent lower. The study was observational, so it shows an association rather than proof, and researchers flagged a possible uptick in kidney cancer that needs longer follow-up.

A systematic review in the journal Life pooled 16 trials covering more than 1,000 women in their 50s and early 60s and found that practicing tai chi improved bone density at the hip and lumbar spine compared with controls. The benefits were strongest in perimenopausal women, suggesting the years around the final period may be an especially good window to start, though the authors rate the overall evidence as low to moderate certainty and call for larger trials. Sessions in the trials ran 30 to 90 minutes, practiced regularly over months.

A 2026 review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience pulled together evidence from large long-term studies, including the Framingham Heart Study and UK Biobank, and found persistent loneliness linked with measurably worse cognitive aging, with one landmark study tying it to a 54 percent higher dementia risk over ten years. The associations appear stronger in women, and researchers point to biology after menopause, including estrogen loss and heightened inflammation, as one reason women may be more vulnerable.

Burning mouth syndrome causes burning, tingling, stabbing pain, or a metallic taste on the tongue, lips, or roof of the mouth with nothing visible to explain it. Harvard Health reports it affects about 2 percent of people, and women are up to seven times more likely than men to be diagnosed, most often during perimenopause and menopause. Researchers believe overactive pain nerves are behind it, with shifting hormones and stress as suspected contributors.

A meta-analysis of eleven trials in 414 inactive adults, nearly 70 percent of them women, found that exercise snacks, meaning bursts of activity lasting five minutes or less done at least twice a day, measurably improved cardiorespiratory fitness within 4 to 12 weeks. Stair climbing, quick strength moves, and tai chi all counted, and people stuck with it, completing 91 percent of sessions.

A randomized pilot trial published in the journal Menopause tested cognitive behavioral therapy in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women dealing with both insomnia and nighttime hot flashes. Women who received CBT saw meaningful short-term improvements in insomnia severity, hot flash interference, confidence in their own sleep, and mood. The gains faded by three months, so researchers are calling for larger trials on how to keep the benefits going.

A study of more than 3,500 women presented at The Menopause Society's annual meeting found that dry eye disease is remarkably common in midlife, affecting about 53 percent of perimenopausal women and 57 percent of postmenopausal women. Shifting hormones appear to play a role, and autoimmune disease, smoking, and contact lens use raise the risk further. Researchers are urging clinicians to start screening for it routinely.

In a Mayo Clinic study of 120 postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity taking tirzepatide, the medication in Zepbound and Mounjaro, the women who were also using menopausal hormone therapy lost about 35 percent more weight over a year or more than the women on tirzepatide alone. The study was observational, so it cannot prove the hormones caused the extra loss, and the researchers themselves note that better sleep, relief from symptoms, or healthier baseline habits could explain part of the gap.

Researchers pooled 11 randomized trials covering 747 people, most of them postmenopausal women, who ate 50 to 100 grams of prunes daily, roughly 5 to 10 prunes, for 6 to 12 months. Bone density at the lumbar spine came out slightly ahead in the prune groups, a borderline result, while hip, forearm, and whole body measurements showed no significant difference and bone turnover markers did not move. The authors call the evidence preliminary and modest, limited by small studies and short durations.

In a study that followed more than 13,000 women, average age 72, for a decade, those who reached 4,000 steps on just one or two days a week had a 27 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 26 percent lower risk of dying during the study than women who never hit that mark. Reaching 4,000 steps on three or more days a week pushed the drop in death risk to about 40 percent. What mattered most was the total amount walked over the week, not spreading it evenly across every day.

Doctors now call the cluster of joint pain, muscle aches, stiffness, and fatigue that often arrives as estrogen falls the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause, a term coined in late 2024. Harvard Health reports it affects about 70 percent of women in perimenopause and menopause, with roughly one in four experiencing symptoms severe enough to disrupt daily life. Because estrogen receptors sit in joints, tendons, muscle, and bone, dropping levels are felt across the whole body, and unlike fibromyalgia these aches often improve with hormone therapy, strength training, regular movement, and anti-inflammatory foods.

Hair shedding while taking a GLP-1 medication is common enough that dermatologists estimate a quarter to a third of people notice some. It is not listed as a side effect of the medication, and the reason is that the drug is not what causes it. Rapid weight loss is. The body reads a fast drop in weight as stress, shifts resources away from hair, and pushes more follicles into their resting phase. The result is a diffuse shed across the whole scalp called telogen effluvium. The timing is what confuses people. Shedding usually peaks two to four months after the trigger, so by the time you notice it you have often stopped connecting it to anything. It typically resolves on its own within three to six months as the body settles, and hair regrows.

Researchers pooled 23 randomized controlled trials covering 1,474 people and concluded there is currently no clinical evidence that collagen supplements prevent or treat skin aging. The interesting part is how they got there. Pooling every trial together did show improvements in hydration, elasticity and wrinkles, but when the authors separated the studies by who paid for them, the trials without industry funding showed no benefit while the commercially backed ones reported positive results. Looking only at the higher quality studies, no significant effect appeared in any category. Supplement industry groups pushed back, arguing the analysis lumped very different collagen formulations together, misclassified some funding sources, and set aside other reviews that found a benefit.

Flavonoids are natural compounds in foods like berries, apples, citrus, and black tea. In a study that followed more than 62,000 women for 24 years, those who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods had a 15 percent lower risk of frailty, a 12 percent lower risk of declining physical function, and a 12 percent lower risk of poor mental health. Adding just three servings a day of these foods was linked to a 6 to 11 percent lower risk across all three.

In a national survey of 2,200 women, middle-aged women reported the most problematic drinking of any age group, yet they were also the least aware that alcohol raises breast cancer risk. That risk rises with the amount you drink, and for cancer prevention no amount is considered fully safe. The researchers point to caregiving stress, work and money pressure, and marketing that wraps wine into women's social lives as reasons drinking has crept up in this stage of life.

Urinary tract infections that keep coming back are a common and miserable part of life after menopause, driven by the same tissue changes that cause dryness. Low-dose vaginal estrogen treats those changes directly, and research shows it sharply cuts the odds of repeat infections, with one study linking it to lower rates of sepsis and hospitalization over the following eight years. Even so, a 2025 study found that only about 9 percent of women on Medicare with these symptoms filled a prescription for it.

Frozen shoulder happens when the capsule around the shoulder joint stiffens and contracts, and it is most common in women between 40 and 60. Researchers think falling estrogen plays a role, since estrogen naturally calms inflammation and helps keep tissue from thickening. The condition moves through three stages, from a painful freezing phase through stiffness to a slow thaw, and the full course can run from many months to two years.

Magnesium takes part in more than 300 processes in the body, from steadying blood sugar and supporting bone to easing muscle cramps, calming nerves, and helping sleep. Many women fall short without realizing it, and low levels can show up as fatigue, cramps, stiffness, or a low mood. Adult women need about 320 milligrams a day, best reached first through nuts, seeds, leafy greens, beans, and whole grains.

A fluttering, pounding, or racing heartbeat is a common and under-discussed part of perimenopause. As estrogen dips, heart rate can climb, and a single hot flash can raise it by 8 to 16 beats per minute. Up to 40 percent of women in perimenopause and about half of women after menopause notice palpitations. They are often harmless, but they can overlap with anxiety, caffeine, poor sleep, thyroid issues, or low iron, so they are worth understanding rather than brushing off.

In a study that followed more than 5,400 women aged 63 and older for eight years, those with a stronger grip and a faster sit-to-stand time lived longer. The gains were meaningful: the risk of dying dropped about 15 percent for each solid increase in grip strength and about 9 percent for a faster chair-stand time. The good news is that both are trainable at any age with regular resistance work.

The FDA approved elinzanetant, sold as Lynkuet, in October 2025 for moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats. It is the first medicine of its kind, blocking two brain signals (the NK1 and NK3 receptors) involved in how the body controls temperature, so it works without hormones. In its main trials, women had several fewer hot flashes a day within four weeks, plus better sleep and quality of life by week 12, with few side effects reported.

Strength and balance begin declining in midlife, well before falls become a worry. A handful of simple moves, like sit-to-stands, heel raises, and standing on one leg, are proven to build the leg strength and steadiness that protect you later. No equipment is needed, and a few minutes most days is enough to start.

In a Harvard study that followed more than 5,000 older adults for nearly nine years, those who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 58 percent higher risk of developing dementia. People who ate mostly whole, minimally processed foods showed the opposite pattern, with a 41 percent lower risk. The study cannot prove cause and effect, but it strengthens the case for trimming packaged foods.

The FDA has approved Foundayo (orforglipron), the first GLP-1 weight loss pill you can take at any time of day, with or without food. In clinical trials, people on the highest dose lost an average of 12.4 percent of their body weight. It is somewhat less potent than the injections, but it removes the needle and the strict fasting rules that come with other pills.

Migraine attacks often become more frequent and intense during perimenopause because estrogen levels swing up and down instead of holding steady. There are more options than ever, from treating attacks early with acute medicines to steady-dose hormone patches that smooth out the fluctuations. For many women, attacks ease once hormone levels settle after menopause.

Iron can run low enough to cause fatigue, brain fog, and poor exercise tolerance well before it shows up as anemia on a standard blood count. Research points to ferritin, a marker of iron stores, as the better early signal, and supplementation helped fatigue in women with low ferritin. Women with heavy or frequent periods are especially at risk.

Updated 2025 guidance from the US Preventive Services Task Force says every woman 65 and older should get a DEXA bone density scan, and younger postmenopausal women with risk factors should now get the scan too, not just a questionnaire. Bone loss speeds up around menopause and has no symptoms until a fracture happens. A quick, low-dose scan catches it early.

In a study of postmenopausal women, those who ate closer to a Mediterranean pattern, rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, reported fewer and milder hot flashes and better quality of life. The same eating style is already linked to stronger heart and metabolic health in midlife. No single food is a cure, but the overall pattern appears to help.

Instead of one steady pace, you alternate three minutes of brisk walking with three minutes of easy walking, repeated for about 30 minutes. Studies on this pattern, often called the Japanese walking method, show bigger gains in heart fitness, leg strength, and blood pressure than steady walking. It is free, gentle on the joints, and works for most fitness levels.

ACOG explains that shifting hormones in perimenopause can make periods heavier, lighter, closer together, or farther apart, so changes on their own are usually not alarming. But soaking through a pad or tampon every hour, bleeding longer than a week, or any bleeding after menopause deserves a medical check. Heavy bleeding can also drain your iron and leave you exhausted.

The FDA has approved self-collection HPV tests, including the first at-home device, so women can screen for cervical cancer risk without a speculum exam. The American Cancer Society notes self-collected samples detect the virus about as accurately as clinician-collected ones, and screening guidance now includes a self-collection option for average-risk women.

A peer-reviewed review finds creatine supports muscle, bone, and possibly brain health across every stage of a woman's life, including menopause. Women naturally store less creatine than men and tend to get less from food, which may make supplementing more useful. About 3 to 5 grams daily paired with strength training showed the most benefit.

Nearly 1 in 3 women experience urinary incontinence, but it is not something you have to live with. Mayo Clinic clinicians outline a full menu of options, from pelvic floor physical therapy and simple diet changes to Botox injections, nerve stimulation, and minimally invasive procedures. Most women can find real relief without major surgery.

GoodRx's coverage tracker shows brand name GLP-1s still run well over $1,000 a month without insurance, and commercial coverage for weight loss got tighter in 2026 rather than looser. More than 16 million insured people have no coverage for any weight loss GLP-1, and most who do face prior authorization or step therapy. A new Medicare pilot and discount programs can lower costs for some, but access stays patchy.

A University of Colorado bone researcher describes a possible perfect storm for women who start GLP-1 drugs around menopause: estrogen is already declining, which speeds bone loss, and rapid weight loss can take muscle and bone along with fat. Studies suggest about a quarter of the weight lost on these medications can be lean mass. In her research, endurance cardio alone did not protect bone, so resistance training and enough protein are the stronger defense.

Endocrinologists at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell reanalyzed data from the large SURMOUNT tirzepatide trials and found the medication produced roughly 20% weight loss in women whether they were premenopausal, perimenopausal, or postmenopausal. It also meaningfully reduced waist size, which matters because midlife weight often settles around the middle and raises heart and metabolic risk.

In late 2025 the FDA moved to remove the long-standing boxed warning about heart disease, breast cancer, and dementia from estrogen products, and to add age-specific guidance noting benefits when therapy begins within ten years of menopause. A separate warning about endometrial cancer stays on estrogen-only products.

Most women fall short of the roughly 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day that steadies blood sugar, keeps you full, and feeds a healthy gut. Soluble fiber from oats, beans, apples, and pears also helps lower LDL cholesterol, which matters more as heart risk rises after menopause.

For some postmenopausal women with distressing low sexual desire, low-dose testosterone kept within the normal female range can modestly improve desire and satisfaction. Experts are clear this is the one well-studied use, that long-term safety data are still limited, and that it is not a proven fix for energy, mood, or other symptoms.

Around half of women notice new joint aches and stiffness near menopause, and researchers now call it the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. As estrogen falls, inflammation rises, joints lose some lubrication, and pain sensitivity can climb. Movement, strength work, an anti-inflammatory diet, and for some women hormone therapy can all help.

For women who cannot or prefer not to take hormones, a newer class of non-hormonal medications called NK3 receptor antagonists targets the brain pathway behind hot flashes directly. Trials show large reductions in how often and how severely they strike.

Roughly 40 to 60 percent of women in perimenopause and menopause struggle with sleep, driven by night sweats, shifting hormones, and higher stress hormones. Experts point to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia as a proven first-line, non-drug approach.

Around two-thirds of women report memory and concentration trouble during menopause. Researchers have documented real, usually temporary shifts in brain regions tied to memory, and stress that this fog is typically mild, variable, and different from dementia.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, and risk climbs after menopause. New research frames perimenopause as a window of opportunity, when catching rising cholesterol and blood sugar early can meaningfully change long-term heart health.

As estrogen falls, the body tends to store more fat around the middle while muscle loss slows metabolism. Experts note aging plays a large role too, and that strength, protein, and daily activity matter more than any single diet.

Vaginal dryness and discomfort affect many women during and after menopause, yet often go unmentioned. Guidelines point to effective, low-risk options, from moisturizers and lubricants to low-dose vaginal estrogen, that can restore comfort.

An analysis of 120 million patient records found women who began estrogen therapy in perimenopause showed no higher rates of breast cancer, heart attack, or stroke than those who started later or never.

Decades of Nurses’ Health Study data link higher midlife protein intake to healthier aging, with related trials pointing to roughly 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight daily to preserve muscle and strength.

A meta-analysis of 17 trials found resistance training meaningfully raises bone mineral density at the spine and hip in postmenopausal women, with the strongest gains from lifting two to three times a week.

ACOG explains that shifting hormones can trigger new or worsening anxiety and low mood even with no prior history, and stresses these changes are physiological and treatable.