Researchers from University of California Los Angeles, have proposed a new method to determine the final menstrual period in women.As women approach their menopause, they are at an increased risk of bone loss and other health conditions. Previous researches have suggested that starting prevention treatment at least a year prior to the final menses could remarkably reduce the risk of bone fracture. Lead author, Dr. Gail Greendale and team gathered information about menstrual bleeding patterns and measurements of hormone levels every year for around eleven years from 554 women aged between 42 and 53 years old and belonging to different ethnic groups.
The researchers took into consideration the levels of two hormones namely, estradiol (E2), a hormone produced by the ovaries, and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to design the model. Increased FSH level along with decreased E2 levels were used to predict the landmark of two years prior to the final menstrual period with 77% specificity.
The authors suggest that once further studies are conducted to validate this model, it could be used to develop user-friendly web applications to predict the final menstrual period and this in turn would help women take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of health complications related to menopause.
The study is published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
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