A new study has found that women who enter menopause before the age of 40 were more likely to develop dementia later in life, according to Science Daily.
The study is presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022.
Dr. Wenting Hao, a Ph.D. candidate at Shandong University in Jinan, China, said, “Our study found that women who enter menopause very early were at greater risk of developing dementia later in life. Being aware of this increased risk can help women practice strategies to prevent dementia and to work with their physicians to closely monitor their cognitive status as they age.”
Dementia is described as a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life, according to Mayo Clinic. It is not a specific disease, but several diseases can cause dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. The second most common is vascular dementia, which is caused by disruptions in blood flow to brain cells.
The current study examined more than 153,290 women who were an average age of 60 years. The investigators identified all types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and dementia from other causes. They calculated the risk of dementia in terms of the age at which the women reported having entered menopause.
The researchers found that women with premature (early) menopause were 35% more likely to have been diagnosed with dementia and women who entered menopause before 45 were 1.3 times more likely to have been diagnosed with dementia before attaining the age of 65. The authors also found that women who achieved menopause at the age of 52 or above had similar rates of dementia.
The researchers did not find an association between menopausal age and the risk of vascular dementia.
Dr. Hao explained, “Dementia can be prevented, and there are a number of ways women who experience early menopause may be able to reduce their risk of dementia. This includes routine exercise, participation in leisure and educational activities, not smoking and not drinking alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough vitamin D and, if recommended by their physician, possibly taking calcium supplements.”
The authors suggested that low estrogen levels could be a link between early menopause and dementia.
Dr. Hao said, “We know that the lack of estrogen over the long term enhances oxidative stress, which may increase brain aging and lead to cognitive impairment.”
Clinicians should be aware of a woman’s age at the onset of menopause. They should closely monitor for cognitive decline in those who attain their menopause before the age of 45.
Dr. Hao said, “Further research is needed to assess the added value of including the timing of menopause as a predictor in existing dementia models. This may provide clinicians with a more accurate way to assess a woman’s risk for dementia.”
