Compositional features of the gut microbiota in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2024.194

Kurbanova P.F., Ermakova E.I., Priputnevich T.V.
Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Centre for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia

Menopause is the final stage of a woman’s reproductive life characterized by the cessation of monthly menstrual periods due to a decline in ovarian activity. The average life expectancy of women today is estimated to be about three to four decades after menopause. The hormonal changes related to menopause can affect physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. This period is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance and abdominal obesity, which in turn can lead to cardiovascular diseases. The gut microbiome changes with the onset of menopause and may impact women’s health indirectly. Estrogen deficiency leads to a decrease in the species diversity of the intestinal microbiome and loss of its sexual dimorphism. The gut microbiome of postmenopausal women becomes identical to the gut microbiome of men of the same age. The results of experimental studies have demonstrated that the use of hormone replacement therapy can positively affect the homeostasis of the gut microbiome and balance the processes associated with estrogen deficiency.
Conclusion: Hormone therapy prescribed to correct menopausal symptoms has been shown to have the potential to positively affect the homeostasis of the gut microbiota. However, the findings are mostly based on experimental work with a relatively small sample size. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more large-scale studies aimed at examining the gut microbiome of peri- and postmenopausal women and its changes during hormone therapy.

Authors’ contributions: Kurbanova P.F. – collecting and processing the material, writing the text; Ermakova E.I.,
Priputnevich T.V. – editing the article.
Conflicts of interest: Authors declare lack of the possible conflicts of interest.
Funding: The study was carried out without sponsorship.
For citation: Kurbanova P.F., Ermakova E.I., Priputnevich T.V.
Compositional features of the gut microbiota in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2024; (9): 56-61 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2024.194

menopause

postmenopause

perimenopause

gut microbiome

sexual dimorphism of the gut microbiome

hormone replacement therapy

Full text (in Russian)

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Received 05.08.2024

Accepted 16.09.2024

Parvin F. Kurbanova, PhD student at the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Academician V.I. Kulakov NMRC for OG&P, Ministry of Health of Russia,
117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4, par0502@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2225-8067
Elena I. Ermakova, PhD, Senior Researcher at the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Academician V.I. Kulakov NMRC for OG&P, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4, ermakova.health@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6629-051X
Tatiana V. Priputnevich, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Med. Sci., Associate Professor, Head of the Institute of Microbiology,
Antimicrobial Therapy and Epidemiology, Academician V.I. Kulakov NMRC for OG&P, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Academician Oparin str., 4, t_priputnevich@oparina4.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4126-9730

Compositional features of the gut microbiota in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

Kurbanova P.F., Ermakova E.I., Priputnevich T.V.

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