Selene · Research Dispatch
Real research from the past six months — curated for women who want to understand the oscillations driving their daily, monthly, and lifelong chemistry. Every finding in plain language and graduate-level depth.
After two decades of fear and underuse, the FDA has formally approved label changes stripping cardiovascular and breast cancer warnings from menopausal HRT — a seismic shift for millions of women.
Source: FDA / Healio
New research identifies the perimenopausal transition — typically the early-to-mid 40s — as when estrogen decline first triggers amyloid accumulation and neuroinflammation. The implication: earlier intervention, not later.
Source: Lancet Healthy Longevity / Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
A March 2026 University of Oregon study finds that estrogen and progesterone fluctuations don't alter maximal exercise capacity, but high-progesterone phases (luteal) make effort feel significantly harder. The implications for cycle-synced training are nuanced.
A landmark PNAS 2026 study found that people in industrialized societies have up to 7× the gut microbial capacity to recycle estrogen back into the bloodstream compared to non-industrialized populations. The implications for estrogen-dominant conditions are significant.
Source: PNAS
A 2026 PubMed study confirms that myo-inositol and berberine act via coordinated endocrine, ovarian, and metabolic mechanisms in PCOS — not redundant pathways. The combination addresses both the insulin root cause and its androgen consequences simultaneously.
Source: PubMed (PMID 41761674)
A 2025 PLOS One meta-analysis of 102 studies and nearly 4,000 women found no systematic evidence for dramatic cognitive changes across the menstrual cycle — but did find small, specific effects in the pre-ovulatory phase.
Source: PLOS One
A 2025 Journal of Neuroendocrinology study provides new mechanistic clarity on how KNDy neurons in the hypothalamus drive the elevated LH pulse frequency that defines androgen-dominant PCOS — and what can interrupt the loop.
Source: Journal of Neuroendocrinology
Originally developed for diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide, tirzepatide) are proving to be some of the most potent hormone-modulating drugs ever studied in women — restoring ovulation in PCOS, reducing estrogen-driven fat accumulation in perimenopause, and showing early signals for endometriosis inflammation. Here is what the 2025 research shows.
Source: NEJM / Journal of Clinical Endocrinology / Fertility & Sterility
Therapeutic peptides — short amino acid chains that act as precise biological signals — are having a moment in health circles. From BPC-157 for gut and systemic inflammation to kisspeptin for reproductive health to PT-141 for desire, here's the 2025 science on what actually has evidence behind it for women.
Source: Journal of Peptide Science / Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology / FDA
Selene Research Dispatch is updated as significant findings emerge. All studies linked to their primary source. Selene supplements are not diagnostic tools — always work with your clinician for treatment decisions.