How loss of memory associated with Menopause?
Women of a certain age often complain of becoming fogetful. It might start with forgetting where the keys have been left, leaving the list of shopping behind & struggling to recall names. Many women fear that it could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. A new study has confirmed that menopausal women do suffer a little in their ability to learn & retain the information.
The average age of the menopause in women is 50 years, when periods stop & many women develop symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats & depression. At this age a woman's supply of eggs has run out and dwindling oestrogen levels are linked to heart and bone problems. It is concluded that level of female hormones are likely to cause memory difficulties just before the menopause begins.
Sixty per cent of women told that they have memory problems during the menopause transition. The new study found that the amount of learning improved back to pre-menopausal levels during the postmenopausal stage. Dr. Greendale, of the University of California, said, “The the findings suggest that during the early and late perimenopause women do not learn as well as they do during other stages of their lives.”
The study also showed that taking oestrogen or progesterone hormones that are used in Hormone Replacement Therapy before menopause, helped verbal memory & processing speed. However, when taken after menopause women showed no improvement in processing or memory scores compared with postmenopausal women not taking Hormone Replacement Therapy.
“Difficulties with memory are very common among women around the time of the menopause”, said Dr John Stevenson, an HRT expert. The study's suggestion that women spontaneously recover is encouraging, but unfortunately some women report to their doctors they have ongoing problems. Dutch researchers have identified gene factors that affect when a woman hits the menopause. Experts hope the discovery will lead to better infertility treatments.
The average age of the menopause in women is 50 years, when periods stop & many women develop symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats & depression. At this age a woman's supply of eggs has run out and dwindling oestrogen levels are linked to heart and bone problems. It is concluded that level of female hormones are likely to cause memory difficulties just before the menopause begins.
Sixty per cent of women told that they have memory problems during the menopause transition. The new study found that the amount of learning improved back to pre-menopausal levels during the postmenopausal stage. Dr. Greendale, of the University of California, said, “The the findings suggest that during the early and late perimenopause women do not learn as well as they do during other stages of their lives.”
The study also showed that taking oestrogen or progesterone hormones that are used in Hormone Replacement Therapy before menopause, helped verbal memory & processing speed. However, when taken after menopause women showed no improvement in processing or memory scores compared with postmenopausal women not taking Hormone Replacement Therapy.
“Difficulties with memory are very common among women around the time of the menopause”, said Dr John Stevenson, an HRT expert. The study's suggestion that women spontaneously recover is encouraging, but unfortunately some women report to their doctors they have ongoing problems. Dutch researchers have identified gene factors that affect when a woman hits the menopause. Experts hope the discovery will lead to better infertility treatments.
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