Women who experience early menopause—before the age of 40—face a significantly higher risk of cognitive decline compared to those who undergo menopause later in life, according to a new study led by a team of researchers.
The study, published on Tuesday in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, was conducted by researchers from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science.
It aims to help clinicians better understand patients’ risks of developing dementia.
The researchers launched the study to investigate the underlying factors contributing to the global rise in dementia cases among women.
Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the team analyzed 4,726 women and 4,286 men, assessing cognitive functions such as orientation, memory recall, and verbal fluency.
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After adjusting for modifiable dementia risk factors—such as depression, which is more prevalent among women who experience early menopause—the study found that those who entered menopause before age 40 demonstrated significantly poorer cognitive performance two years later, compared to those who began menopause at age 50 or older.
Interestingly, women who experienced menopause at 50 or later outperformed men in cognitive assessments. The study also found no association between hormone replacement therapy and improved brain function.
The findings suggest that early menopause may be an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment, emphasizing the need for more research into how fluctuations in female hormone levels impact brain health.
“Understanding this relationship in-depth could potentially help us design treatments that delay the onset of dementia in at-risk patients,” says Nakanishi.
