Severe menopause symptoms could impact brain health — Study

NEW DELHI — A new study on Wednesday suggests that severe menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and depression, can negatively affect cognitive function in postmenopausal women. 

Globally, more than 24 million people are living with dementia.

As the global population ages, dementia diagnoses are increasing. Estimates suggest 4.6 million new cases are diagnosed annually, meaning one person is diagnosed with dementia every 7 seconds.

By 2040, dementia cases are expected to double, reaching 81.1 million globally.

In the new study involving nearly 1,300 late-postmenopausal women from nine Latin American countries, researchers found that severe menopause symptoms — such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood disorders — were linked to cognitive impairment.

The study raises the question of whether effectively treating hot flashes with hormone therapy or other approved therapies could improve cognitive functions like memory, attention, language, and executive function. However, this remains uncertain.

In the paper, published in the journal Menopause, the researchers concluded that cognitive health is influenced by a complex interplay of hormonal, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors.

 “This study showed a potential link between severe menopause symptoms and cognitive impairment in midlife women,” said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.

 “The results also suggest a protective effect of lower body mass index, higher educational level, physical exercise, hormone therapy use, and sexual activity on cognition, highlighting the potential for targeted interventions to protect and preserve cognitive function in menopausal women.”

According to medical experts, 40 per cent of Alzheimer’s disease cases, the most common form of dementia, can be prevented or delayed.

This has led to significant interest in identifying risk factors, particularly the role of estradiol in female cognitive ageing.

With menopause characterised by a decline in oestrogen, postmenopausal women are at a heightened risk of dementia.