Menstrual Cycle News and Research

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Wearable devices may help detect menstrual health changes earlier

Digital health tools, including wearables, provide critical data on menstrual health, enhancing understanding of hormonal fluctuations and women's well-being.

27 May 2026

Perimenopause nearly doubles women’s odds of poor heart health

Perimenopause is linked to worsening cardiovascular health, with significant declines in lipid and glucose scores, emphasizing the need for early assessment.

15 May 2026

Prenatal progesterone exposure alters brain development genes in male fetuses

Excessive exposure to progesterone in the womb can alter a gene in the frontal cortex in male sheep fetuses, which is needed for brain development and function, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

11 May 2026

AI-driven hormone tracking could help detect infertility early and improve conception

Men and women who appear hormonally 'normal' may still have undetected disruptions in the timing and coordination of their reproductive hormones that could impair fertility, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

8 May 2026

Brief walking breaks help the body control sugar after carb-rich meals

Brief brisk walking breaks during prolonged sitting improved post-meal interstitial glucose responses in healthy adults after carbohydrate-rich meals, with the strongest effects seen in women. Gluteal fat showed a more stable glucose pattern than abdominal fat, suggesting it may help buffer carbohydrate-related glucose rises through depot-specific uptake and lipid-synthesis pathways.

29 Apr 2026

Vitamin E intake linked to a key fertility hormone in women trying to conceive

A cross-sectional study of 97 women with infertility found that higher vitamin E intake was associated with lower prolactin levels and smaller hip circumference. Riboflavin and calcium intake were linked to higher muscle mass percentage, but the findings are association-based and need confirmation in longitudinal studies.

26 Apr 2026

Research suggests randomness behind rare cases of twin ovulation

Each month during a woman's menstrual cycle, an ovary prepares 10-20 antral follicles, fluid filled sacs that hold immature eggs, for maturation.

22 Apr 2026

Higher stress and BMI tied to earlier puberty in girls

New research links stress, BMI, and hormone patterns to pubertal timing, revealing implications for long-term health and early intervention strategies.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers map how menstrual cycle phases affect athletic performance

In a repeated-measures study of 18 eumenorrheic female athletes, half-squat strength was highest in the late follicular phase and around ovulation, while handgrip strength peaked in the late luteal phase. Psychological measures also shifted across the cycle, with lower vigor and higher fatigue and depression scores in the late luteal phase, supporting more individualized training monitoring.

12 Apr 2026

Treating autonomic dysfunction can relieve symptoms of treatment-resistant depression

Consider a house with the water main half shut. The faucets sputter. The toilet runs all night. The garden wilts. You could call a plumber for the faucet, a landscaper for the garden, a different plumber for the toilet, and every one of them would fix something while fixing nothing.

31 Mar 2026

Hormone fluctuations influence perceived effort during intense workouts

Female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuate monthly across the menstrual cycle, affecting moods and energy levels.

2 Mar 2026

Study reveals knowledge gaps about menstrual health in elite women’s football

Elite European women’s football players and staff show substantial knowledge gaps about menstrual health and hormonal contraception despite widespread openness to discussion. The study highlights the need for structured education to support informed health decisions while clarifying that perceived performance effects are not consistently supported by scientific evidence.

24 Feb 2026

Sustained high progesterone during pregnancy can improve menstrual cyclicity in PCOS patients

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 6%−20% of reproductive-aged women, and is commonly accompanied by irregular menstrual cycles and anovulatory infertility.

11 Feb 2026

Multi-fluid microRNA signals as markers of endometriosis

Researchers uncover distinct microRNA profiles in bodily fluids, offering insights into noninvasive diagnostic markers for endometriosis and its complexities.

27 Jan 2026

Targeted uterine mRNA treatment boosts fertility outcomes in mice

Researchers from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine Center for Nanomedicine - which designs nanotechnology-based platforms for clinical translation across specialties - developed a strategy for delivering therapeutic messenger RNA (mRNA) to the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium) in mice via modified lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which are small capsules made of fatty molecules.

22 Jan 2026

Can ketogenic diets help PCOS? New analysis points to weight and insulin gains

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies found that ketogenic diets were associated with short-term reductions in body weight, waist circumference, insulin resistance, and some reproductive hormones in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, primarily among those with overweight or obesity. However, substantial heterogeneity, low certainty of evidence, limited safety reporting, and short follow-up periods mean the clinical effectiveness and long-term sustainability of ketogenic diets in PCOS remain uncertain.

5 Jan 2026