Top 5 menopause articles of 2025

Welcome to another edition of Countdown to 2026, and thank you for visiting the Contemporary OB/GYN website throughout 2025. Below, take a look at the top menopause stories published this year, and catch up on anything you may have missed.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved elinzanetant 60 mg capsules (Lynkuet; Bayer) on October 24, 2025, for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause, based on phase 3 data from the OASIS clinical program. Elinzanetant is the first FDA-approved dual neurokinin 1 and neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist for menopausal hot flashes.

In the OASIS-3 trial, treatment was associated with a greater than 73% reduction in the frequency and severity of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms at 12 weeks compared with placebo, with additional improvements reported in sleep disturbance and menopause-specific quality of life measures. Safety findings were consistent with earlier trials, with no treatment-related serious adverse events identified. Investigators noted that the approval addresses an ongoing need for effective nonhormonal treatment options for menopausal vasomotor symptoms, particularly for patients with contraindications to estrogen-based therapy.

On November 10, 2025, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Food and Drug Administration announced actions to update safety labeling for menopausal hormone therapy to better reflect contemporary evidence on benefits and risks. The FDA requested revisions to boxed warnings and labeling language for systemic and local vaginal hormone products, citing a review of data published since the Women’s Health Initiative trials and noting differences between the older trial populations and women who typically initiate therapy for menopausal symptoms.

Key changes include removing class-wide boxed warning language related to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and probable dementia, adding guidance on initiating systemic therapy in women younger than 60 years or within 10 years of menopause onset, and streamlining safety information for local vaginal products. The agencies stated that the updated labeling is intended to support evidence-based, individualized decision-making between clinicians and patients regarding the use of menopausal hormone therapy.

A nationally representative study of 3,001 US women aged 60 years and older found that sex toy use, particularly during masturbation, was common and associated with higher reported orgasm frequency. Among women who masturbated in the past year, more than half reported using sex toys, most often external vibrators, whereas use during partnered sexual activity was less frequent. Women who used sex toys during masturbation were more likely to report consistent orgasm and a desire for more sexual activity compared with nonusers, while no significant association with desire was observed during partnered sex. Investigators noted that these findings highlight the relevance of sexual expression in later life and support the role of clinicians in addressing sexual function, masturbation, and orgasm as part of routine menopause care.

A study published in PLOS One found that a higher burden of menopausal symptoms was associated with poorer cognitive performance and increased mild behavioral impairment in later life among postmenopausal women. In an analysis of 896 participants enrolled in a Canadian aging cohort, investigators reported that each additional menopausal symptom was linked to higher scores on measures of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction, suggesting a potential association with increased dementia risk.

Hormone therapy was not associated with improved cognitive scores but was linked to fewer behavioral symptoms. The authors noted that menopausal symptom burden may serve as a clinical marker for vulnerability to later cognitive and behavioral changes and emphasized the need for further longitudinal research to clarify these associations.

A study conducted by investigators at the University of Colorado Boulder found that later onset of menopause was associated with better vascular health and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Compared with women who experienced menopause at typical ages, those with menopause onset at 55 years or later demonstrated significantly better endothelial function, as measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, with vascular performance closer to that of premenopausal women.

The findings suggested that improved mitochondrial function and lower mitochondrial reactive oxygen species activity may contribute to preserved vascular health in women with later menopause. Investigators reported that these vascular differences persisted for several years after menopause onset and noted that age at menopause may represent an important female-specific factor in cardiovascular risk assessment, warranting further investigation.