Food Nutrition · Jul 30, 2026
Dynamics of gut microbiota and metabolic profiles across Women's reproductive aging
By Zhang Z, Zhao N, Liu Y et al.
Reproductive aging in women is accompanied by profound hormonal shifts that may be associated with alterations in gut microbiota (GM) and host metabolism. However, integrated analyses encompassing GM and metabolic profiles across different reproductive stages remain limited. This cross-sectional study describes reproductive-stage-associated microbial and metabolic patterns within the combined context of reproductive transition and chronological aging. In this integrative multi-omics study, premenopausal ( n = 39), perimenopausal ( n = 37), and postmenopausal ( n = 42) women were enrolled to investigate associations among GM characteristics, metabolic profiles, and circulating estrogen levels during reproductive aging. Across reproductive stages, chronological aging and pronounced changes in circulating estrogen levels were accompanied by shifts in microbial diversity and overall community structure. Significant differences in the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were observed among groups. At the genus level, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 and Eubacterium hallii were enriched in premenopausal women, whereas Bacteroides , Ruminococcus 2, and Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group were more abundant in perimenopausal women, with generally lower abundances in postmenopausal women. Untargeted metabolomics further revealed reproductive-stage-associated alterations in fatty acid and amino acid metabolism, as well as steroid hormone-related pathways. Together, these findings identify coordinated microbial, metabolic, and hormonal patterns across reproductive aging, which likely reflect the combined influences of chronological aging and stage-related endocrine changes. Because chronological age and menopausal stage were closely coupled, these findings should be interpreted as associative patterns across reproductive aging rather than independent effects of menopause. Causal relationships and microbiota-derived predicted functional potentials cannot be inferred from the present cross-sectional and 16S-based analyses (ChiCTR2500108462).