A new study out of Stanford University’s School of Medicine suggests that hormone levels after menopause have no noticeable affect on mental cognition or mood.
The study was led by Stanford neurologist Victor Henderson and was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It examined a group of 643 healthy postmenopausal women who were not taking hormone therapy. The women were divided into two groups: those who had entered menopause within the past six years and those whose menopause had occurred over ten or more years ago.
The women underwent extensive cognitive tests, as well as tests for mood and depression. Researchers then assessed the women’s hormone levels, looking at estradiol, estrone, progesterone and testosterone levels. Researchers were particularly interested in the women’s level of estradiol, which is the primary type of estrogen present in a woman’s body after menopause.
Estradiol levels progressively drop after menopause. Some research has suggested that beginning estradiol hormone therapy soon after menopause can increase mental functioning. Henderson’s research however does not support the hypothesis that hormone levels have any affect on a woman’s postmenopausal thinking or mood.
These findings suggest that women should not take estrogen hormone replacement therapy solely because they wish to improve their cognitive functioning. Some research has found that hormone replacement therapy has associated risks including stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, and blood clots.
While the finding found no link between estradiol levels and cognitive function, it did find a surprising link between progesterone levels and cognitive functioning in women who had recently entered menopause. While researchers are interested in this link, they note that this was an accidental finding of their research. More research directly studying progesterone and mental cognition after menopause needs to be done to determine if the link is truly exists.
Since the study also only studied the link between natural levels of estradiol in women and their cognitive functioning, other researchers argue that the link between hormone levels and mental functioning should be studied in women taking hormone replacement therapy before ruling out that synthetic hormones don’t help cognition levels.
If you’re in menopause and considering hormone replacement therapy, the best advice you can take is from a competent gynecologist who stays on top of the most current research. A good gynecologist takes all benefits of risks into consideration when helping you decide about if hormone replacement therapy is right for you. The compassionate staff at Northern Florida’s All About Women is here to help you with your questions and concerns about menopause and any other women’s health issues you may have. To learn more about menopause, visit our Knowledge Center. To schedule an appointment, contact our Gainesville or Lake City office.
