Menstrual Cycle Reshapes Blood Proteins: New Insights into Women’s Health

Menstrual cycle reshapes nearly 200 blood proteins, offering a broader view of women’s health

A new study from Aarhus University has demonstrated that the menstrual cycle is accompanied by widespread changes in the circulating proteome, with nearly 200 proteins in the female body changing systematically throughout the cycle. This is the first time that protein variation in the blood has been mapped on such a large scale across the menstrual cycle.

The research, published in Nature Medicine, profiled nearly 3,000 plasma proteins in 2,760 women from the UK Biobank and identified 198 proteins that vary across the cycle, forming distinct temporal patterns aligned with menstrual phases. These proteins include reproductive hormones, cytokines and growth factors, many of which are enriched in endometrial tissue and expressed in epithelial and stromal cell types.