(Ivanhoe Newswire) – The transition to menopause affects more than just
your body; it may actually temporarily cause learning troubles for some women,
according to the largest study of its kind.
Researchers studied 2,362 women between the ages of 42 and 52 who had at least
one menstrual period in the prior three months. These women were given three
tests – verbal memory, working memory and a test that measured the speed at
which they processed information. They were also tested during the four stages
of menopause transition: premenopausal (no change in menstrual periods), early
perimenopausal (menstrual irregularity but no gaps of 3 months), late
perimenopausal (having no period for three to 11 months) and postmenopausal (no
period for 12 months).
The study's findings suggest early and late perimenopausal women do not learn as
well as they do during other menopause transition stages. The findings back up
previous research that found that as many as 60 percent of women have reported
memory problems during the menopause transition.
There is some good news, however. Researchers said the effects on learning seem
to be temporary and by the postmenopausal period, most women are back to their
premenopausal levels. The researchers said their study also showed taking
estrogen or progesterone hormones before menopause helped verbal memory and
processing speed, but taking these hormones after the final menstrual period had
a negative effect.
SOURCE: Neurology, May 26, 2009
