Meyers, M., Fehring, R. J., & Schneider, M. (2023). Case Reports from Women Using a Quantitative Hormone Monitor to Track the Perimenopause Transition. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 59(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59101743
Meyers M, Fehring RJ, Schneider M. Case Reports from Women Using a Quantitative Hormone Monitor to Track the Perimenopause Transition. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023;59(10). doi:10.3390/medicina59101743
Meyers, Maria, et al. "Case Reports from Women Using a Quantitative Hormone Monitor to Track the Perimenopause Transition." Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), vol. 59, no. 10, 2023.
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Hormone monitor reveals distinct cycle patterns in early perimenopause
Case reports of eight women aged 41 to 50 found that a quantitative hormone monitor revealed distinct cycle patterns in the variable stage of perimenopause. The eight came from a retrospective review of 42 women aged 40 to 50 who tracked their cycles from July 2019 to July 2023.
Study at a glance, retrospective descriptive analysis of eight women aged 41 to 50: A hormone monitor showed distinct cycle patterns in perimenopause. Source: Meyers M et al., 2023, PMID 37893460.
Key Findings
All eight women who used the quantitative hormone monitor entered care in the variable stage of perimenopause, with ages ranging from 41 to 50.
The monitor recorded delayed luteinizing hormone (LH) surges, quick rises in estrone-3-glucuronide (E3G, a urinary estrogen marker) toward the LH surge, and cycles with low E3G and LH levels.
It also recorded double LH surges in one cycle with raised follicle-stimulating hormone at the highest surge, continuous high E3G and LH, and low progesterone marker levels after an LH surge.
Among the 42 women, 14 entered care in the variable stage, 11 in regular cycles, 9 as postpartum cycle zero, 6 in short cycles, and 2 with bleeds over 60 days apart.
No woman in regular cycles was older than 47, and 13 of the 42 women moved to another cycle phase during follow-up.
Interpretation
The report is a retrospective descriptive analysis of individual charts. Eight women with a history of regular cycles were followed for 4 to 17 months. All eight were in the variable stage, the first stage of perimenopause under the STRAW criteria. The authors note that the number of cycles followed was not recorded. The authors suggest that future studies could use vaginal ultrasound to detect which cycles are truly ovulatory. In their view, continued research on perimenopausal cycles could help women understand and track their fertility.
RRM Context
The women learned the Marquette Method, a fertility tracking method. Restorative reproductive medicine regards the ovulatory cycle as a vital sign. Monitor data add detail to charting as menopause nears.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
The fertility tracking of menstrual cycles during perimenopause with a quantitative hormone monitor is a novel undertaking. Women in regular menstrual cycles have been tracking their fertility using different biomarkers since the 1960's. Presently, there are newer electronic hormonal devices used to track fertility that provide more exact and objective data to help delineate the fertile time frame of a woman's cycle. These devices measure quantitative levels of estrogen, the luteinizing hormone, progesterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, all of which occur at varying levels during the menstrual cycle. As women advance toward menopause, their cycles vary in length, and their hormones fluctuate. In this retrospective analysis, forty-two women aged 40 to 50 tracked their cycles over time, and eight of these forty-two women used the quantitative hormonal device. With the use of this device, the perimenopausal period has revealed distinct hormonal cycle characteristics that are unique to this group of women. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss these cycle's characteristics during perimenopause, which were found with the use of the quantitative hormonal device.
