Menopause affects more of the body than its best-known symptoms. These seven papers, published in 2026, look at how the transition changes physiology, the role of testosterone in women, heart risk after early menopause, hormone therapy after breast cancer, effects on hair and the fast-growing market for menopause care.
1. Population-Scale Reconstruction of Menopause Dynamics Reveals a Physiological Cliff at the Final Menstrual Period
Nature Medicine, October 2026
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04614-0
Applying a new computational method to about 300 million laboratory tests from two cohorts, the authors report step-like changes at the final menstrual period across endocrine, bone, liver, kidney and lipid measures, with changes beginning more than a decade earlier and appearing much weaker in women using hormone therapy. The trajectories are reconstructed from cross-sectional data rather than measured in the same women over time.
2. Beyond Libido: The Multifaceted Role of Testosterone in Women
Sexual Medicine Reviews, October 2026
DOI: 10.1093/sxmrev/qeag072
This narrative review of studies published from 1974 to 2025 describes testosterone as the most abundant biologically active sex steroid in women, with roles in bone, muscle, metabolism, blood vessels, cognition and mood that continue after menopause. The authors note that the strength of evidence varies by body system and that measuring testosterone in women still needs to be standardized.
3. Premature Menopause and Lifetime Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
JAMA Cardiology, March 2026
DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2026.0212
In pooled data on 3,522 Black and 6,514 White women from six US cohorts, natural menopause before age 40 was associated with about 40% higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease in both groups, and was more common among Black women (15.5% versus 4.8%). The study is observational and excluded women whose menopause was surgically induced.
4. What Systemic Hormone Therapy Black Box Removal Means for Breast Cancer Survivors
JAMA, February 2026
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2026.0025
This Viewpoint discusses the benefits and risks of systemic hormone therapy for breast cancer survivors after the US Food and Drug Administration removed black box warnings from menopausal hormone therapy. It is an opinion piece on a regulatory change, not a new study.
5. Menopausal Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer: Personalization, Not Prohibition
Journal of Clinical Oncology, March 2026
DOI: 10.1200/jco-25-03121
This article addresses menopausal hormone therapy for breast cancer survivors, and its title argues for individual decisions over a blanket prohibition. No abstract is available. It pairs with the JAMA Viewpoint above, taking up the same question in an oncology journal.
6. Hormone Replacement Therapy and Hair: A Review for Trichologists Treating Menopausal Women
Dermatology, February 2026
DOI: 10.1159/000551153
This literature review concludes that hormone replacement therapy is not currently indicated for hair loss alone, and that in the evidence reviewed, transdermal or topical estrogen with oral medroxyprogesterone, used for other indications, did not add concern about hair loss. It summarizes existing evidence for hair specialists rather than reporting new data.
7. Wild West or Gold Rush: How Long-Neglected Menopause Care Has Spawned a Booming Marketplace
JAMA, July 2026
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2026.13202
This Medical News article looks at how rising demand for menopause care has fueled a rapidly expanding market for treatments, and where the evidence supports them. It is health reporting, not a research study.
These selected papers are not a systematic review or clinical guidance. Publication months refer to first online publication.
Six of these papers are included in DeepDyve's LitStream collection, and the Nature Medicine study is open access. Read them in full with a DeepDyve subscription.