Neuroscience: Brain changes in menopause are distinct from puberty and pregnancy (Nature Communications)
9 September 2026
Changes in the female brain during menopause contrast sharply with those seen during pregnancy and puberty, according to brain imaging research published in Nature Communications. The study, which contained over 200 active participants, suggests that puberty and pregnancy are both associated with reductions in cortical grey matter volume, whilst menopause is characterised by grey matter volume remaining relatively stable during the transition itself.
Puberty, pregnancy, and menopause are major hormonal transitions experienced across the female lifespan that have profound effects on the brain. However, it is unknown whether the changes in these three stages involve shared or distinct mechanisms. Additionally, although previous studies have examined brain changes during puberty and pregnancy, there has been less research into the changes associated with menopause.
Sophie van ’t Hof and colleagues analysed structural MRI data collected at multiple intervals during transitions through puberty (34 participants), pregnancy (70 participants), and menopause (120 participants), alongside control groups (individuals at similar ages who were pre or post these transitional stages) of 108, 40, and 723 respectively. The transitions through both the first period during puberty and pregnancy were associated with accelerated monthly reductions in total and cortical grey matter in comparison to controls. Losses were observed amongst similar regions for both groups including the prefrontal, parietal, and temporal association cortices, whilst diverging in other regions. In contrast, the transition through menopause showed no notable total or cortical grey matter reduction compared with premenopausal and postmenopausal control groups. The authors infer that this absence of an age-related decline during the menopausal transition could be related to previously observed decreases in sex steroid hormones; however, further research would be needed to establish a causal link to this relationship. The findings indicate that puberty, pregnancy, and menopause are associated with different patterns of brain structural change, rather than a single, uniform response to hormonal change.
The authors note several limitations; such as the self-reported nature of menopausal status and lack of directly measured hormonal data across all cohorts. Further study with standardised and comparable hormonal and imaging data will be needed to clarify the biological mechanisms behind these patterns.
- Article
- Open access
- Published: 08 September 2026
van ’t Hof, S.R., Bos, M.G.N., Straathof, M. et al. Puberty, pregnancy, and menopause show shared and distinct structural changes across the lifespan. Nat Commun 17, 9360 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76755-2
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