Estrogen for the mind

Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining brain health and cognitive function. In many studies devoted to the prevention of cognitive impairment, the effect of reducing estrogen levels in women during menopause is considered. A new study conducted by specialists of the North American Society for the Study of Menopause (North American Menopause Society) demonstrates the effectiveness of lengthening the reproductive window when the sex hormone estrogen is present in the body, using hormone replacement therapy. Since women account for two-thirds of the 5.5 million cases of Alzheimer's disease in the United States, researchers suspected the influence of female-specific factors, such as the level of the hormone estrogen, on the incidence. Numerous studies have previously suggested the role of estrogen in memory retention and learning.

In a current study involving more than 2,000 postmenopausal women, researchers followed participants for 12 years to test the link between decreased estrogen levels and cognitive decline. In particular, they estimated the duration of estrogen exposure to a woman throughout her life, taking into account the time from the onset of puberty to menopause, as well as the number of pregnancies, the duration of breastfeeding and the use of hormone replacement therapy.

The researchers concluded that an increase in the duration of estrogen exposure is associated with a more preserved cognitive status in older women. In addition, they have documented that the beneficial effects of estrogen are enhanced when taking hormone replacement therapy, especially in old age. Women who started hormone therapy earlier showed higher scores on cognitive tests than those who started taking hormones later. This fact supports the hypothesis of a critical window of hormone therapy.

Although the assessment of the risk/benefit ratio of hormone replacement therapy is complex and should be individual, this study provides additional evidence of the beneficial effects of hormone therapy for cognitive function, especially when estrogen intake was started immediately after menopause. The results of the study also prove the potential adverse effects of early cessation of estrogen production in the body on the cognitive health of a woman in conditions of premature or early menopause without adequate replacement of estrogen.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of NAMS: Hormone therapy associated with improved cognition.