Severe menopause symptoms linked to cognitive impairment in later life

Key takeaways:

• Women with vs. without cognitive impairment had more intense menopause symptoms.
• Lower BMI, sexual activity, exercise, hormone therapy use and higher education were tied to lower cognitive impairment odds.

Severe menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and depressive mood, were associated with mild cognitive impairment for postmenopausal women, researchers reported in Menopause.

“It is important to identify potential risk factors contributing to the development of cognitive decline, such as menopausal symptoms,” Andrés Calle, MD, research director at Central University of Ecuador, and colleagues wrote. “Early detection of such risk factors can help prevent and timely treat age-related cognitive disorders.”

Calle and colleagues conducted a subanalysis using data from 1,287 postmenopausal women (mean age, 55.5 years) from a cross-sectional, observational survey study. All women attended gynecologic consultations across nine Latin American countries and completed a general questionnaire, the Menopause Rating Scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Researchers defined mild cognitive impairment as a score less than 21 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

On average, participants had 13.8 years of education and 2.3 children. In addition, 72.8% of women reported having a partner, 67.5% reported engaging in sexual activity in the past 12 months and 36.7% reported ever having used menopause hormone therapy. For lifestyle factors, 50.3% of women had a sedentary lifestyle and 70.5% were never smokers.

Overall, 15.3% of women had mild cognitive impairment. Women with vs. without mild cognitive impairment reported more intense menopause symptoms as measured by the Menopause Rating Scale (scores, 15.24 vs. 10.53; P < .001). Researchers observed a significant association between severe menopause symptoms and mild cognitive impairment (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.25-2.42).

Lower BMI (OR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98), sexual activity (OR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.51-0.96), physical exercise (OR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.39-0.76), menopause hormone therapy use (OR = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.24-0.55) and higher educational level (OR = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.21-0.46) were all associated with lower odds of mild cognitive impairment.

“Our findings underscore the complex interplay between hormonal, lifestyle and sociodemographic factors in shaping cognitive health outcomes during the postmenopausal period,” the researchers wrote. “Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and inform targeted interventions aimed at preserving cognitive function in aging women.”