Divine Aleru, Microbiome Medicine Research Coordinator

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis exhibits significant antifertility effects in animal models through antiovulatory, antiimplantation, and spermatogenic disruption mechanisms, highlighting its potential as a safe, reversible herbal contraceptive pending further research.

This systematic review links sex hormone levels with gut microbiota composition and diversity, revealing associations that may underpin sex-specific disease risks and suggesting microbiota modulation as a therapeutic strategy.

This review examines estrogen’s interplay with the gut microbiome and brain, revealing their collective influence on fear extinction and anxiety disorders, highlighting critical sex differences and the potential for microbiome-targeted therapies.

Vaginal microbiota composition in young women varies daily with hormonal cycles, contraceptive use, diet, and exercise, affecting Lactobacillus dominance and community stability linked to reproductive health.

Menopause impacts many aspects of health, including the gut microbiome, weight management, and hormone balance. Diet, probiotics, intermittent fasting, and HRT offer effective management strategies.

Intermittent fasting (IF) may positively influence gut microbiota by improving richness and diversity. However, findings are inconsistent across studies, requiring more research for clearer clinical recommendations.

Intermittent fasting improves weight, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women, offering a promising non-pharmacological strategy for managing metabolic disorders.

Dietary intake of (poly)phenol-rich foods modestly improves cardiometabolic risk factors and reduces oxidative stress in postmenopausal women, with gut microbiome variability influencing outcomes.

Ketogenic diets effectively improve metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory profiles in female endocrine disorders, aiding PCOS, menopause, and hormone-related cancers by promoting weight loss and reducing insulin resistance.

A plant-based diet with soy reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, potentially by modulating gut bacteria linked to inflammation and estrogen metabolism.

Menopause disrupts multiple microbiomes, elevating risks for infections, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, and osteoporosis. Targeted interventions including probiotics, diet, and hormone therapy improve health outcomes.

Menopause alters gut microbiota composition and estrogen metabolism, contributing to symptoms and disease risks. Prebiotic and probiotic interventions show promise for symptom relief and metabolic health improvement.

Mind-body therapies like hypnosis effectively reduce menopausal hot flashes; natural products and whole-system CAM approaches show mixed evidence. More high-quality research is needed.

Estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, with transdermal delivery preferred for safety. Non-hormonal options offer moderate relief; emerging therapies like SERMs and androgens show promise but require cautious use.

This review finds insufficient evidence that black cohosh effectively reduces menopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy outperforms black cohosh, which appears safe but needs further study for efficacy and impact on quality of life.

Combining Rhodiola rosea and Actaea racemosa extracts significantly improves menopausal symptoms and quality of life, outperforming black cohosh alone with good safety.

Rhodiola rosea shows promise as a natural selective estrogen receptor modulator, offering neuroprotective, cardiovascular, and bone health benefits for menopausal women with fewer risks than conventional therapies.

This review details the estrogenic activity, neuroprotective effects, and clinical relevance of medicinal plants for menopausal women, highlighting their potential to prevent cognitive decline and neurodegeneration via microbiome-associated mechanisms.

The study examined the metabolic changes that occur during menopause, focusing on how menopause modulates circulating metabolites in midlife women. Researchers specifically analyzed 94 charged metabolites, including amino acids, fatty acids, and other small molecules, to assess how these metabolic changes correlate with the increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular […]

This review synthesizes evidence on menopause-related lipid metabolic disorders, emphasizing estrogen deficiency, dietary interventions, and the role of probiotics and microbiome modulation in improving metabolic health among postmenopausal women.

Menopause is linked to significant metabolic shifts, including a proatherogenic lipid profile and altered amino acid levels, which may increase cardiovascular and metabolic disease risks in women. The study highlights the importance of monitoring metabolic health during menopause.

This study reveals significant metabolic changes in postmenopausal women, including a pro-atherogenic lipid profile and increased amino acids linked to cardiovascular and metabolic risk, emphasizing menopause as a key factor in long-term health risks.

This study links urinary heavy metal exposure (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead) to altered sex hormone levels in midlife women, with stronger effects during the perimenopausal transition. It suggests that metal exposure may accelerate ovarian aging and impact long-term health outcomes.

This review details how environmental metal exposures influence menopause onset, symptoms, and COVID-19 outcomes, emphasizing the potential for trace mineral supplementation and the need for monitoring heavy metal and micronutrient status in menopausal women.