Women who experience an early menopause may suffer long-term negative effects on the brain, experts warn today.
Although most women in western countries start the menopause at about 50 years of age, many have a "premature menopause" at or before 40 years, either spontaneously or induced through surgical removal of the ovaries.
Researchers recruited 4,868 women and gave them cognitive tests together with clinical checks for dementia, at the start of the study and after two, four and seven years.
Most (79%) had a natural menopause, 10% had a surgical menopause, and 11% had a menopause due to other causes such as radiation or chemotherapy. Premature menopause was experienced by about 8% of the women, with a further 13% having an "early menopause" (between 41 and 45 years). More than 20% used hormone replacement therapy to manage the menopause.
Premature menopause was linked to a more than 40% increased risk of poor performance on tests of verbal fluency and visual memory, compared with menopause after age 50.
This group also had a 35% raised risk of decline in psychomotor speed, or coordination between the brain and the muscles that oversees movement, and overall cognitive function during the course of the study. Dementia risk was unaffected.
The study is published today (7 May) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Researcher Dr Joanne Ryan of the Hospital La Colombiere, Montpellier, France, said: "Both premature surgical menopause and premature ovarian failure were associated with long-term negative effects on cognitive function, which are not entirely offset by menopausal hormone treatment.
"The potential long-term effects on cognitive function should form part of the decision-making process when considering ovariectomy in younger women."
Ryan, J. et al. The impact of menopause on cognitive function in later life. BJOG 7 May 2014 doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.12828. [abstract]
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