Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health
Abstract Despite ferritin’s role in iron and metabolic health, its timing and pattern of change relative to other iron biomarkers during the menopausal transition remain unclear, as blood loss shifts alter iron metabolism. This retrospective study analyzed longitudinal changes in 1,885 women aged 31...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14295-3 |
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| author | Minjeong Kim Yoosoo Chang Yoosun Cho Min-Jung Kwon Hee-Kyung Joh Ga-Young Lim Ria Kwon Jiin Ahn Jungeun Park Kye-Hyun Kim Jae Keun Yoo Seungho Ryu |
| author_facet | Minjeong Kim Yoosoo Chang Yoosun Cho Min-Jung Kwon Hee-Kyung Joh Ga-Young Lim Ria Kwon Jiin Ahn Jungeun Park Kye-Hyun Kim Jae Keun Yoo Seungho Ryu |
| author_sort | Minjeong Kim |
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| description | Abstract Despite ferritin’s role in iron and metabolic health, its timing and pattern of change relative to other iron biomarkers during the menopausal transition remain unclear, as blood loss shifts alter iron metabolism. This retrospective study analyzed longitudinal changes in 1,885 women aged 31–56 undergoing natural menopause, with at least 3 years of follow-up, using linear mixed models relative to the final menstrual period (FMP), segmented into pre-FMP, around-FMP, and post-FMP periods. Serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation increased over time, whereas total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) decreased. TIBC declined rapidly around FMP, while other iron measures increased sharply and plateaued post-FMP. Serum ferritin levels, however, continued to rise post-FMP, with its coefficient (Standard Error; SE) sharply increasing from 2.10 (0.34) to 20.27 (0.50) between pre-FMP and around-FMP segments and remaining high at 9.34 (0.40) post-FMP. High ferritin residuals (> 1 SD above the mean) from regression models predicting ferritin levels by transferrin saturation were associated with fatty liver and metabolic syndrome components. These findings suggest that serum ferritin levels increase steeply during the menopausal transition and continue to rise post-FMP, reflecting iron status and metabolic health. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-8bd55a642b694aa098b1f9ce3c035f052025-08-20T03:42:33ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-14295-3Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic healthMinjeong Kim0Yoosoo Chang1Yoosun Cho2Min-Jung Kwon3Hee-Kyung Joh4Ga-Young Lim5Ria Kwon6Jiin Ahn7Jungeun Park8Kye-Hyun Kim9Jae Keun Yoo10Seungho Ryu11Department of Statistics, Ewha Womans UniversityCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan UniversityDepartment of Medicine, Seoul National University College of MedicineCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Statistics, Ewha Womans UniversityCenter for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineAbstract Despite ferritin’s role in iron and metabolic health, its timing and pattern of change relative to other iron biomarkers during the menopausal transition remain unclear, as blood loss shifts alter iron metabolism. This retrospective study analyzed longitudinal changes in 1,885 women aged 31–56 undergoing natural menopause, with at least 3 years of follow-up, using linear mixed models relative to the final menstrual period (FMP), segmented into pre-FMP, around-FMP, and post-FMP periods. Serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation increased over time, whereas total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) decreased. TIBC declined rapidly around FMP, while other iron measures increased sharply and plateaued post-FMP. Serum ferritin levels, however, continued to rise post-FMP, with its coefficient (Standard Error; SE) sharply increasing from 2.10 (0.34) to 20.27 (0.50) between pre-FMP and around-FMP segments and remaining high at 9.34 (0.40) post-FMP. High ferritin residuals (> 1 SD above the mean) from regression models predicting ferritin levels by transferrin saturation were associated with fatty liver and metabolic syndrome components. These findings suggest that serum ferritin levels increase steeply during the menopausal transition and continue to rise post-FMP, reflecting iron status and metabolic health.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14295-3Natural menopauseMenopausal transitionMiddle-aged womenMetabolic healthFerritinIron-related markers |
| spellingShingle | Minjeong Kim Yoosoo Chang Yoosun Cho Min-Jung Kwon Hee-Kyung Joh Ga-Young Lim Ria Kwon Jiin Ahn Jungeun Park Kye-Hyun Kim Jae Keun Yoo Seungho Ryu Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health Scientific Reports Natural menopause Menopausal transition Middle-aged women Metabolic health Ferritin Iron-related markers |
| title | Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| title_full | Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| title_fullStr | Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| title_short | Accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| title_sort | accelerated increase in ferritin levels during menopausal transition as a marker of metabolic health |
| topic | Natural menopause Menopausal transition Middle-aged women Metabolic health Ferritin Iron-related markers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14295-3 |
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