Menopause is an experience all women will face during the ageing process, a part of life defined as having no menstrual period for one year. But while most women can expect to experience menopause in their 50s, those who enter it before the age of 40 could be at higher risk of developing dementia of any type later in life.
According to preliminary research set to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022, the study found that compared to women who enter menopause around age 50, those who experience it before 40 were 35 per cent more likely to develop dementia. Women who entered menopause before age 45 were also 1.3 times more likely to develop dementia before the age of 65.
For the study, researchers analysed women who were diagnosed with dementia and assessed when they first started menopause. They then began factoring in things like age at their last exam, race, educational level, cigarette and alcohol use, body mass index, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, income and physical activity level.
The results present a number of questions for those in the field, namely what the link between dementia and menopause might be. When it comes to premature menopause, it’s a condition that affects those before age 40, whereas early menopause affects those between the ages of 40 and 45. About 5 per cent of women naturally go through early menopause, however the typical age of menopause is 52, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH).
According to OWH, one might experience early menopause due to family history of the condition, smoking which can cause menopause to occur up to two years before women who are nonsmokers, chemotherapy or pelvic radiation treatments for cancer, surgery to remove the ovaries, and certain health conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV and AIDS.
While researchers have yet to examine the link between menopause and dementia, a press release issued by the American Heart Association said a factor could be lower oestrogen levels that accompany menopause. “We know that the lack of oestrogen over the long term enhances oxidative stress, which may increase brain ageing and lead to cognitive impairment,” explained study co-author Wenting Hao, M.D., a Ph.D., candidate at Shandong University in Jinan, China.
According to Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology and reproductive sciences at Yale Medical School, the findings are not surprising. “We have known for years that women who undergo menopause early and don’t take oestrogen replacement therapy have a significantly higher risk of heart disease and dementia,” she told Prevention, citing a Mayo Clinic study. “Why is there this link? We know from some experimental data that women who take oestrogen family soon – within six years of menopause – have less thickening of their carotid blood vessels compared to women who do not take oestrogen. And blood flow to the brain is good.”
When it comes to dementia, ensuring we are actively looking to protect brain health is imperative. To lower the risk, maintaining a healthy weight is important, as well as things like controlling high blood pressure, managing blood sugar, aiming to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly, staying mentally active, staying connected to family and friends, and trying to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
