For how we live.
From 300 million laboratory tests, an Israeli team reconstructs trajectories and finds bone, liver, kidney, hormone and lipid markers shift abruptly at the final menstrual period — changes starting a decade earlier.
Sold as natural, safer and tailored by hormone testing, custom-compounded menopausal hormones are untested against approved options — and expert panels advise restricting their use.
Six products got revised labels in February 2026, removing cardiovascular, breast cancer, and dementia language. The scientific societies that welcomed the change also listed the distinctions the new label does not make.
A 150-woman real-world comparison found combination therapy cut symptom scores further and produced more clinical responders. Endometrial thickness rose slightly but stayed normal.
In the phase 3 PATCH trial, oestrogen skin patches were non-inferior to LHRH injections for three-year metastasis-free survival, with fewer hot flushes but more breast swelling.
A nationwide register study found a hazard ratio of 0.96 for all-cause death among users of menopausal hormone therapy. The raw death rate in users was higher — which is the part worth understanding.