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Why does memory decrease during menopause?
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
"Most women who experience menopause complain about certain disorders that they did not previously worry about, in particular, they are about cognitive impairments, such as memory problems, difficulties in concentrating attention and some other changes that until the onset of menopause did not disturb ladies, "says the study's lead author, a neuropsychologist at the University of Rochester's medical center Miriam Weber. "Our research shows that these problems are not only very common, but even worse after the first year after the last menstrual period."
Participants in the study were 117 women who were assigned to groups according to the criteria system "Stages of aging of the female reproductive system", which practitioners use to determine the various stages in the functioning of the reproductive system of women, from adolescence to menopause and postmenopause. The STRAW + 10 Working Group of Experts developed this system of criteria in 2011 during a symposium held in Washington, USA.
To assess the participants' cognitive skills, scientists conducted a series of tests, and interviewed women about the symptoms that occurred with the onset of the menopause period, for example, hot flushes, sleep disturbances, feelings of anxiety and depression. In addition, the subjects donated blood to determine current levels of estradiol (estrogen level indicator) and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Experts analyzed the results to determine if there were group differences in cognitive functions, and whether these differences could be associated with symptoms of menopause.
The researchers divided the participants according to the four stages of the onset of menopause: late reproductive stage, early and late transitional period and early postmenopause.
In the late reproductive stage, women begin to notice changes in the menstrual cycle for the first time, such as duration and amount of secretions, but menstruation is regular, without failures.
The early and late transition period is characterized by large fluctuations of the menstrual cycle - with a difference of seven days or more. At this time, the level of hormones also begins to change significantly. This transition period can last for several years.
Experts tested the participants in the study using comprehensive tests to assess various cognitive skills. They included tests for attentiveness, listening and remembering, fine motor skills and dexterity, as well as "working memory" - the ability not only to receive and store new information, but also to manage it.
The researchers found that women in the early stages of postmenopausal women had worse verbal learning skills, verbal memory and fine motor skills compared with women in the late reproductive period and late stages of the transition period.
The researchers also found that symptoms such as difficulty in sleeping, depression and anxiety are not harbingers of memory problems. In addition, these problems could not be associated with certain changes in the level of hormones in the blood.
"The results of the study suggest that a decrease in cognitive ability is an independent process, not a consequence of sleep disturbances and depression," says Dr. Weber. "Although it is possible that fluctuations in hormone levels that occur at this time can play a role in memory problems that many women experience."