# Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women

> **NIH NIH F31** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2021 · $37,154

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Decreased bone density and quality is a major source of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and globally. With
an aging population, the disease burden of osteoporosis is expected to drastically increase. Conflicting
evidence of an estrogen independent association between follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and bone
loss has been observed from both in vivo studies and observational research. While there is biological rationale
and cross-sectional evidence for the proposed association, no longitudinal studies have explored the
relationship between FSH and bone loss in postmenopausal women. Additionally, there has never been a
study pertaining to the relationship between FSH and fracture risk in any age group. Understanding this
association among postmenopausal women is critical because current treatment and prevention options for
osteoporosis are limited. Therefore, identifying biologic processes related to the progression of bone loss in
postmenopausal women will open the door to further epidemiological and pharmacological research into this
area. The long term goal of the proposed research is to better understand the estrogen-independent role of
FSH in the process of bone degradation which accompanies menopause. The purpose of this proposal is to
investigate the association between serum FSH and multiple outcomes associated with the process of bone
aging, including changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and incident low bone mass, osteoporosis, and
fracture. We hypothesize that there will be an inverse association between serum FSH levels and BMD in
postmenopausal women as well as increased risk of incident low bone mass, osteoporosis and fracture in
those with higher FSH levels. We will accomplish this using data from a sample of 685 postmenopausal women
within the Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Study (a prospective ancillary study within the
Women's Health Initiative). This cohort of postmenopausal women is uniquely suited to the evaluation of these
associations as it includes measures of BMD, low bone mass, osteoporosis, FSH, taken at baseline and a five
year follow up visit, in addition to diagnoses of fracture over 22 years of follow up. The analyses will be
conducted within the context of the complex pituitary negative feedback mechanism between FSH and other
endogenous hormones, this dataset contains measures of estradiol, sex hormone binding globulin, and
testosterone. The proposed project will greatly expand my epidemiologic training by incorporating both cross-
sectional and longitudinal methods. Also included is robust training and understanding of the complex
endocrine feedback mechanism between endogenous hormones and osteoclastic bone formation and
resorption. My proposed training plan will be two-pronged to assist me in both my epidemiologic and biologic
training as a researcher, while the proposed research will fill a gap in literature on FSH and BMD in
postmenopausal women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10148027
- **Project number:** 1F31AG071241-01
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** Lindsey Jean Mattick
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $37,154
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10148027

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10148027, Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women (1F31AG071241-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10148027. Licensed CC0.

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