A recent study led by researchers from University College London (UCL) has revealed that there is no conclusive evidence indicating that hormone therapy for menopause increases or decreases the likelihood of women developing dementia after menopause.
This publication comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last November its intention to remove warnings printed on hormone therapy products for menopause, which previously included unsubstantiated claims about potential long-term health risks, including an increased risk of dementia.
The FDA announcement also stated that hormone therapy for menopause may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but the findings of this latest review suggest that this claim is not supported by sufficient evidence.
Expert opinions:
Lead author Melissa Melville from the Department of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCLA says: “Worldwide, dementia disproportionately affects women, even after accounting for women’s longer average lifespan, so there is an urgent need to understand what may be behind this risk and identify ways to reduce women’s risk of dementia.”
Hormone therapy for menopause is a commonly used procedure to control the symptoms of menopause; however, its effect on memory, cognition and the risk of developing dementia remains one of the most controversial issues in the field of women’s health.
Conflicting research and concerns about potential harms have fueled public and clinical debate, leaving women and doctors confused as to whether hormone therapy for menopause may increase or decrease their risk of developing dementia.
What’s in the results?
Therefore, an international research team from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Australia and China compiled the best available evidence on any potential link between hormone therapy for menopause and the risk of developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia), which included one randomized controlled trial and nine observational studies, with a total of 1,016,055 participants.
The researchers found no statistically significant association between hormone therapy for menopause and the risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
Additional subgroup analyzes within the study participant groups, based on the timing, duration, and type of hormone therapy for menopause, also did not reveal any statistically significant effects.
Therefore, they found no evidence that hormone therapy for menopause affects the risk of developing dementia after early menopause.
For her part, Professor Amy Spector (Department of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London), the lead author of the study, said:
- “The World Health Organization does not currently provide any guidance on hormone therapy for menopause and its effect on cognitive functions, which leaves a significant gap for doctors and policymakers.”
- “To mitigate conflicting information, we reviewed the most accurate research on the topic, and found that hormone therapy for menopause does not appear to affect the risk of developing dementia, either positively or negatively.”
- “This review will help inform the WHO’s upcoming guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, which are expected to be released in 2026.”
- “More high-quality, long-term research is still needed to fully understand the long-term effects of hormone therapy for menopause.”
