Greater menopause symptoms linked to memory and thinking problems
Women who suffer greater menopause symptoms are more likely to experience memory and thinking problems as they age, research has suggested.
Experts found that women who recalled a heavier burden of menopausal symptoms were more likely to report issues with memory, language and in areas such as planning, organisation and self-control.
The findings suggest the menopausal phase could be important for assessing dementia risk, academics said, though more work is needed.
Canadian researchers looked at data from 896 post-menopausal women whose average age was around 64.
Their menopause symptoms started around the age of 49 on average.
The women reported menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, brain fog and mood swings.
They were given a list of 11 symptoms, scoring them between zero to 10 based on how often they experienced them.
Hot flushes were the most common, reported by 88% of the group, followed by night sweats.
The study found that women who recalled more symptoms reported more problems with thinking, learning and memory.
They also had more mild behavioural impairment symptoms, such as changes in personality, decreased motivation or impulse control issues.
Researchers said the findings, published in the journal Plos One, 'suggest menopausal symptom burden may predict susceptibility to dementia'.
They added: 'Greater menopausal symptom burden may be associated with greater cognitive and behavioural decline in later life, both risk markers of dementia.
'Estrogen-based hormone therapy may contribute to mitigating clinical symptoms, particularly behavioural symptoms.'
The data used by researchers was taken from the Canadian Platform for Research Online to Investigate Health, Quality of Life, Cognition, Behaviour, Function, and Caregiving in Aging (CAN-PROTECT) study, which forms part of the PROTECT study, run by the University of Exeter and NHS.
Professor Anne Corbett, of the University of Exeter and PROTECT study lead, said: 'Changes in cognitive function are part of the normal ageing process and are often nothing to worry about.
'However, we know that Alzheimer's disease starts long before diagnosis and identifying the earliest factors influencing its progression is crucial to helping people access the best treatment and support.
'This study suggests that the menopausal phase could be an important period for assessing dementia risk.
'However, it's important to note that dementia risk involves many different factors.
'It's difficult to know at this stage how much of an effect menopausal symptoms really have and more research is needed before we can say for certain whether menopause severity should be considered a major risk factor.
'What we do know is the best way to reduce our risk of dementia is to stay physically active, maintain a healthy weight and to manage other medical conditions.'
Aimee Spector, a professor of clinical psychology of ageing at UCL, said: 'Whilst they found an association; there is no evidence that the menopause symptoms led to the cognitive changes and there could be many possible reasons why people with more menopause symptoms may experience more cognitive changes, such as depression or physical health conditions.
'I don't think that the study can tell us anything about menopause symptoms and the risk of dementia, as subjective cognitive complaints do not imply that the person has or will get dementia.'
Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the research 'adds to our understanding of how menopause may relate to brain health for women in later life', although it 'does not show that these women are more likely to go on to develop dementia'.
' Dementia is caused by diseases in the brain and while menopause could play a role in our brain health, we need more research to understand if and how this influences dementia risk,' she added.
'Some symptoms of menopause, like 'brain fog' or forgetfulness, are similar to early dementia symptoms.
'Long-term studies will be key to determining whether menopause-related changes have lasting implications and whether interventions like hormone replacement therapy could play a protective role.
'With women making up two-thirds of people in the UK living with dementia, it is crucial that we invest in research that explores why women are more at risk of developing the condition.'
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