Menopause is widely recognized as a major biological transition, but its effects on the entire reproductive system have remained poorly understood. Now, researchers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, BSC-CNS) have used artificial intelligence to build a detailed atlas showing how individual organs change during this phase—revealing that aging does not proceed uniformly across the body.
The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, combined 1,112 tissue images from 659 samples taken from 304 women aged 20 to 70, along with gene expression data from thousands of genes. By leveraging the supercomputing power of MareNostrum 5 and deep learning techniques, the team reconstructed how seven key reproductive organs—uterus, ovary, vagina, cervix, breast, and Fallopian tubes—age over time.
Uneven Aging Across Organs
The results challenge the assumption that menopause affects all reproductive tissues similarly. The ovaries and vagina showed a gradual aging process that begins even before menopause officially starts. In contrast, the uterus undergoes more abrupt changes around the time of menopause. Even within a single organ, different tissues can age at different rates: in the uterus, the mucosa and the muscular layer do not change in sync, and both appear particularly sensitive to hormonal shifts.
“Menopause is not simply the end of the ovary’s reproductive function,” said Marta Melé, leader of the transcriptomics and functional genomics group at BSC and director of the study. “Our results show that it acts as a turning point that profoundly reorganises other organs and tissues of the reproductive system, and allows us to identify the genes and molecular processes that could be behind these changes.”
This organ-by-organ map provides a foundation for understanding why women in menopausal and postmenopausal stages face increased risks of cardiovascular, metabolic, neurodegenerative, and bone diseases. The findings also highlight that the reproductive system’s aging is more complex than previously thought.
Toward Personalized Medicine
Co-first author Laura Ventura emphasized the clinical potential of the atlas. “This research paves the way for personalised medicine where treatments are tailored to a woman’s specific molecular profile and the specific tissues showing the most age-related distress,” she told Euronews Health.
The study also identified molecular signals linked to reproductive aging that can be detected in blood samples from over 21,441 women. These biomarkers could allow doctors to monitor the condition of reproductive organs non-invasively, potentially anticipating menopause-related complications such as pelvic floor issues without the need for biopsies.
The work underscores a broader trend in European research: using AI to decode complex biological processes. As recent reports from London have shown, AI’s impact on women’s lives is multifaceted, from job market risks to health innovations. Similarly, the Barcelona team’s approach demonstrates how machine learning can uncover patterns invisible to the naked eye.
For European women, who on average experience menopause around age 51, this atlas could eventually lead to more targeted interventions. The researchers hope their work will shift the conversation from managing symptoms to understanding the underlying molecular dynamics—a step toward precision health for half the population.
