The brain takes a break from rewiring during menopause

Puberty, pregnancy and menopause are the three major hormonal transitions for the female brain. Researchers already knew that during the first two, the organ fine-tunes itself in response to hormonal shifts, but they haven’t been sure about the third.

The brain goes through substantial changes during puberty and pregnancy, both marked by major hormonal shifts. Yet during the third female hormonal transition period—menopause—the organ seems to hit pause on rewiring.

That’s according to a new study that examined scans of 1,095 female brains across three life stages: first period, pregnancy and menopause. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications on September 8, hints that the loss of gray matter volume typically tied to hormone changes doesn’t happen during menopause. What’s more, aging-related brain shrinkage also temporarily halts during this time.

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