A strong association between early onset of menopause and increased risk of comorbidities such as cognitive impairment and dementia was noted in research conducted by the University of Sherbrooke in Canada.
The study, published by the Journal of Neuroscience, delved into the relationship between the length of a woman's reproductive stages and cerebrovascular health. The results showed that those who started menopause earlier – and thus had less cumulative exposure to estrogen – were more likely to have cerebrovascular complications.
How was the study conducted?
To understand the possible link between menopause and dementia, the research observed 9,163 women who had already gone through menopause, with an average age of 64 years. None of the participants initially had any identified cerebral small vessel disease.
Using brain scans, the researchers assessed the amount of hyperintensity in the brain's white matter, a common condition indicative of small vessel disease and cerebrovascular problems.
What is the relationship between dementia and menopause?
Women who had longer exposure to estrogen had less white matter hyperintensities in the brain, according to the study's findings.
This means that female reproductive hormones, especially estrogen, may play an important role in protecting cerebrovascular health.
Hormone replacement
When analyzing the use of hormone replacement therapy, researchers concluded that it did not appear to have an effect on white matter hyperintensity in a woman's brain. However, they recognize the need for more studies related to the brain health of postmenopausal women and possible ways to improve hormonal treatments.
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