• One study found that early natural menopause may be associated with a 27% higher risk of metabolic syndrome.
• Another study shows that people who reach menopause later may have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
• A recent study found that postmenopausal women have lower muscle health scores than non-menopausal people.

Menopause is a natural part of the aging process. This refers to the period of 12 consecutive months when a woman does not have a period and is no longer able to conceive.

This research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. However, the findings highlight the importance of early screening and prevention.

another 2025 survey Researchers found that people who reach menopause at age 55 or older have healthier cardiovascular systems than those who stopped menstruation earlier. The findings help explain why women who experience menopause later are at lower risk. heart attack or stroke.

Biomarkers in urine could detect early stages sarcopenia According to one report, (muscle loss) in women during menopause 2025 survey. The findings were presented at the 2025 Menopause Society Annual Meeting. This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of more than 234,000 women who experienced natural menopause between the ages of 30 and 60.

metabolic syndrome Refers to a group of conditions that increase the risk of serious health problems. Something like this:

Researchers say that some of the people who started early menopause13.5% were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Meanwhile, only 10.8% of those who experienced late menopause had this condition.

This difference meant a 27% increased relative risk of metabolic syndrome among those who experienced early menopause.

“Recognizing early menopause as a marker of metabolic syndrome provides clinicians with an important opportunity to identify at-risk women sooner and intervene earlier to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other complications.” Shefali Setia Varmanassistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the study. press release.

The study authors explained that decreased levels of certain triglyceride-derived lipid metabolites contributed to hypotension. oxidative stressleading to improvement of endothelial function.

Understanding these factors can help doctors provide personalized care throughout a woman’s life and reduce her risk of heart disease.

Changes may also occur depending on a woman’s age at menopause. If you reach menopause at age 55 or older, your chances of developing heart disease are up to 20% lower than those whose menstrual cycles stopped at a younger age.

Researchers measured flow-mediated dilation in the brachial artery of 92 women to assess how the brachial artery dilates when blood flow is increased. They also performed hormone tests to measure mitochondrial health and confirm menopause.

They also conducted analyzes to determine what factors contribute to differences in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species biological activity and endothelial function.

There was a difference between the group that started menopause later and the group that ended menstruation earlier. The late-onset group had 24% worse vascular function than the other groups. premenopausal woman. The normal onset group had 51% worse vascular function than premenopausal women.

This led the authors to suggest that women who reach menopause later may be protected from vascular dysfunction caused by oxidative stress.

Menopause is known to accelerate muscle loss due to hormonal changes, especially muscle loss. estrogen level. Currently, muscle deterioration can only be identified by: DEXA scan. This is expensive, often inaccessible, and impractical for routine monitoring.

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, have identified a novel urinary biomarker that indicates significant differences in muscle health between menopausal and non-menopausal people. This is based on data from 113 participants.

The researchers collected urine samples from 85 currently menopausal women and 28 non-menopausal women after an overnight fast. They identified five important metabolites related to muscle metabolism. A proprietary algorithm was then used to combine the concentrations of the biomarkers to create a single muscle health score for each participant.

Results were 91% consistent with DEXA scan results for sarcopenia detection. Biomarker-based muscle health scores were significantly lower in menopausal individuals than in non-menopausal individuals (44.21% vs. 53.98%).

Menopausal people also had lower levels of protein synthesis and higher levels of protein synthesis. oxidative stress.

“We know that there are changes in bones and muscles associated with menopause and aging.” Stephanie FabionMD, PhD, medical director of the North American Menopause Society, who was not involved in the study, said in a magazine interview. press release.

Fabion added that understanding the dynamic changes in muscles that occur during midlife and menopause could be helpful.

However, she cautioned that the study’s results were limited by the small sample size. Further research is needed to clarify the measurement of muscle health and confirm that the results have clinical implications.