Women With This Condition May Be at Higher Risk of Dementia, According to Study
In case women and people assigned female at birth didn't have enough problems, a study revealed that some of us may be at higher risk for dementia than others—and that's a portion of us who are already suffering from severe symptoms of another condition.
And, unfortunately, this is already on top of women already being at three times higher risk of Alzheimer's disease than men. What is the newly discovered risk factor and how can you protect yourself?
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A new study reveals that women and people assigned female at birth who have more severe perimenopause symptoms are more likely to have poor cognitive function and behavioral problems as they age.
Researchers from the University of Calgary studied 896 women who identified as menopausal with an average age of 64, asking the women to recall and list perimenopausal symptoms and incidences they experienced. These included chills, forgetfulness, hot flashes, inattentiveness, irregular periods, mood swings, night sweats, sleep disruptions, slowed metabolism, vaginal dryness and weight gain, plus other unnamed symptoms.
Women who experienced more and more severe menopausal symptoms displayed a higher likelihood of "mild behavioral impairment symptoms" later in life, as well as higher rates of cognitive impairment.
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If you've been having hot flashes for a while, here's some good news: There's no need to panic just yet.
"Greater menopausal symptom burden may be associated with greater cognitive and behavioral decline in later life, both risk markers of dementia," study author Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, MD, FRCPC, wrote.
All that said, the study's authors acknowledge that a lot more research still needs to be done, and likely for longer periods of time on larger sample sizes. What's more, researchers also plan to do more intense studying of other potential confounding factors in subjects to draw more direct correlations and possible causations. These factors can include surgeries, other co-occurring health conditions, genetic factors and family history.
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Dr. Ismail also notes that estrogen therapy (often also called hormone replacement therapy) can be a big help with perimenopause and menopause symptoms, so if nothing else, you can at least feel better now. Talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapy if you haven't.
Other menopause treatments vary by symptom, but rest assured, there is help out there for you! Whether it's hot flashes, sleep problems, hormonal changes or weight gain, talk to your doctor about your needs and your options—and make sure you also discuss ways to protect your brain health, too.
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