For women enduring hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, a new model could better estimate the timing of the final menstrual period, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed a formula using the levels of two hormones to estimate when the final menstrual period would occur. The calculation relies on changing levels of estradiol, a hormone present in the ovary, and follicle stimulating hormone, a hormone in the brain that gives instructions to the ovary. As women go through menopause, follicle stimulating hormone levels rise and estradiol levels dip.
