Physique 1A: Reproduced with permission from Rannevik G, Jeppsson S, Johnell O, et al

Physique 1A: Reproduced with permission from Rannevik G, Jeppsson S, Johnell O, et al. osteoporosis and obesity in women across the menopausal transition. It became clear as early as 1989 that women can lose bone Ranolazine dihydrochloride between the ages of 35 and 50 in the presence of regular cycles and high serum FSH levels (1). Since then, multiple reports have documented not only early postmenopausal bone loss but also profound decrements in bone mineral density (BMD) before the onset of menopause, particularly during the latter third of the perimenopausal transition (2C11). This bone loss continues unabated for the next two decades (8, 10, 12, 13). The most well-studied populace of perimenopausal women is the Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a longitudinal and cross-sectional study that examined several biological parameters, including bone mass, body fat, and physical activity, in an ethnically diverse cohort of >2000 perimenopausal women (9C11). Notably, there were profound reductions in BMD and high resorption rates 2 to 3 3 years before menopause, irrespective of ethnicity. This phase of bone loss is associated with increases in body weight and visceral adiposity, as well as dysregulated energy homeostasis and reduced physical activity (14, 15). All these aberrations occurred in the face of rising serum FSH levels when serum estrogen levels were normal (Fig. 1A) (11, 16). This obtaining suggests alternative mechanisms in parallel with the well-characterized role of estrogen in the regulation of body composition. Open in a separate window Physique 1. Relationship between serum FSH levels and BMD across the menopausal transition. (A) Hormonal profiles before and after menopause (dashed line) show that serum FSH levels begin to rise even when estrogen is within the normal range. (B) BMD changes over a 5-12 months timeframe in the SWAN. (C) Correlation between baseline and 4-12 months measurements of FSH at three levels Ranolazine dihydrochloride of BMD change (noted). Physique 1A: Reproduced with permission from Rannevik G, Jeppsson S, Johnell O, et al. A longitudinal study of the perimenopausal transition: altered profiles of steroid and pituitary hormones, SHBG and bone mineral density. Maturitas 1995; 21:103C113. Figures 1B and 1C: Reproduced with permission from Sowers MR, Jannausch M, McConnell D, et al. Hormone predictors of bone mineral density changes during the menopausal transition. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006; 91(4):1261C1267. E2, estradiol. In 2006, we published the first evidence that, by increasing bone resorption by osteoclasts, FSH could itself regulate bone mass in animal models (17). More recently, we found that FSH regulates Ranolazine dihydrochloride body fat and that blocking FSH action on its receptor, expressed in both bone and excess fat cells (17, 18), not only increases bone mass but also Ranolazine dihydrochloride reduces body fat profoundly and induces thermogenic beige adipose tissue (19). These data, replicated in C.J.R.s laboratory (19, 20), have laid the foundation for using an anti-FSH agent, in our case a monoclonal FSH blocking antibody (18) to treat osteoporosis and obesity concurrently and, in particular, prevent bone loss and visceral adiposity during the later years of the perimenopausal transition. Bone Loss and Excess fat Gain Occur Concurrently During Late Perimenopause Postmenopause is usually formally defined as the permanent cessation of menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months in the absence of any Rab21 other obvious pathological or physiological cause. The median age of US women at the time of menopause is usually 51.4 years. The Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW) defined perimenopause, also known as the menopausal transition, as the transitory period from reproductive age through to menopause that includes the onset of irregular cycles together with profound endocrine changes (21). Perimenopause begins on average at age 47 years. Perimenopause and postmenopause are both divided into early and late stages (21). Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies show that rates of bone loss are the highest during perimenopause and that these affect mainly trabecular bone (9C11). The ongoing SWAN has reported more than two decades of observations showing accelerated lumbar spine bone loss in a multiethnic cohort of 2375 eugonadal women between ages 42 and 52 years (Fig. 1B) (9C11, 22). The mean annual change in lumbar spine BMD was greatest 1 to 2 2 years after the last menstrual period (2.16% per year) (22); this drop occurred even while BMD values remained in the normal range (10, 22). The evidence for interim bone loss was confirmed through increased bone turnover markers during late perimenopause but when menstrual cycles were still regular (8). Bone biopsies in a subgroup of women provided direct evidence for accelerated activation frequency, a measure of osteoclast activity, 1 year after menopause (23). Notably, this.