Postmenopause

Faster increases in bone turnover during the menopause transition and greater bone turnover during early postmenopause are risk factors for fracture, even among women with relatively preserved bone mineral density, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Postmenopausal women who report sleeping less than 5 hours per night are more likely to develop low bone mineral density at all major sites and are at increased risk for osteoporosis at the hip and spine, according to findings published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Two different studies regarding statins — one that indicated their use raised the risk for new-onset diabetes and a second that concluded high-dose statin therapy may heighten fracture risk — were the top stories in endocrinology last week.

Severe energy restriction with a total meal replacement diet among postmenopausal women with obesity induced greater weight loss and approximately 1.5-fold as much loss of whole-body lean mass and thigh muscle area compared with moderate energy restriction over 12 months; however, researchers also observed a greater decrease in hip bone mineral density with severe energy restriction, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open

Regular, weekly physical activity such as walking and yard work can lower the risk for hip or total fracture among postmenopausal women, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.

After a reexamination procedure, a European Medicines Agency committee announced a positive opinion recommending marketing authorization for romosozumab for the treatment of severe osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture with no history of myocardial infarction or stroke, according to a press release from Amgen and UCB.

Pellet hormone therapy, a solid custom-compounded bioidentical estrogen therapy that is inserted under the skin, may be less safe than FDA-approved HT therapies for postmenopausal women, according to findings presented at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting.

Hormone therapy may slow the development of diabetes among postmenopausal women due to its effects on certain metabolites, according to findings presented at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting.

Among a cohort of postmenopausal women randomly assigned to romosozumab or alendronate, larger improvements in bone mineral density and bone strength in the lumbar spine were observed for those taking romosozumab, according to findings presented at the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting.

Estradiol levels among early and late postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy are influenced by several clinical and lifestyle factors, including BMI, surgical menopause, smoking, alcohol use and antifungal medication use, according to findings presented at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting.