---
title: What hormone changes happen during the transition to menopause?
description: A study of 40 women aged 43–52 transitioning to menopause found that inhibin-A hormone levels were lower than in younger women, with the largest decreases in
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/study-on-serum-inhibin-concentrations-in-women-during-menopausal-transition-2003/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- What hormone changes happen during the transition to menopause?

Survey study, 2003

# What hormone changes happen during the transition to menopause?

A study of 40 women aged 43–52 transitioning to menopause found that inhibin-A hormone levels were lower than in younger women, with the largest decreases in those who had stopped ovulating.

 Early or limited evidence

40 women aged 43–52 in menopause transition; compared to 10 younger women and 10 postmenopausal women.

## What they did

Researchers measured five key hormones in blood samples from 40 women aged 43–52 in menopause transition, 10 younger women, and 10 postmenopausal women.

## What they found

In the menopause transition group, inhibin-A levels in the premenstrual phase were 24.7 ng/L compared to 42.9 ng/L in younger women. About 48% of transitioning women still showed normal hormone levels in the luteal phase. Women who had stopped ovulating showed much lower inhibin-A and inhibin-B levels.

## What it means for you

Lower inhibin-A may mark early menopause. Main limitations are the small sample and single-country design, so findings may not apply broadly to all women.

40

women in menopause transition

24.7 vs 42.9

inhibin-A levels (ng/L), transition vs younger

48%

women with normal luteal hormone levels

## About the study

Original title [Study on serum inhibin concentrations in women during menopausal transition] Authors Zhang YW, Chen WL, Yu Q et al. Journal Zhonghua fu chan ke za zhi Year 2003 Study design Survey study Participants 40 Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12783698/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12783698/)

## Topics

[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Study, 2025

Do women have different symptom patterns before, during, and after menopause?

Study, 2018

Do irregular periods and menopause affect thinking and memory in women with schizophrenia?

Survey study, 1991

How do stress hormones affect the menstrual cycle and PMS?

Systematic review, 2026

Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle?

Cohort study, 2025

Are irregular menstrual cycles linked to lower thinking and memory skills in middle-aged women?

Cohort study, 2023

Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗