Premature menopause may increase the risk of dementia later in life!

Dr Brigitte Tebeka and Pr Geneviève Plu-Bureau, gynecologists and ambassadors for Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes, read the results of an American study.

Menopause that occurs before the age of 40-45 is called "advanced", and the average age of menopause in France is around 50. It can be natural, with a gradual cessation of ovarian function, surgical following bilateral oophorectomy, or secondary to the treatment of cancer with chemotherapy.

Dementias include significant changes in the brain's ability to remember, make decisions and express oneself. Alzheimer's disease is the best-known type of dementia, followed by vascular dementia, which results from a lack of cerebral perfusion due to mini strokes or the detachment of small arterial plaques. Both types of dementia increase with age. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, smoking, cholesterol, obesity, stress, etc.) increase the risk of vascular dementia.

In a study presented at an American Heart Association conference on March 1, 2022, the relationship between the age of onset of menopause and the diagnosis of dementia was analyzed.
Data from 153,291 women, with an average age of 60, were studied from a large UK medical database between 2006 and 2010.
The investigators first identified women with dementia and then calculated the risk of its occurrence as a function of their age at menopause, compared with women who had reached menopause at a so-called normal age (51 on average).

Their results were adjusted for a number of risk factors: age, ethnicity, level of education, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical activity...

The results show that in the case of very early menopause (now called premature ovarian failure), i.e. before the age of 40, the risk of dementia (whatever the age of onset) is 35% greater than in women who undergo menopause at the normal age. Moreover, in the case of menopause before the age of 45, the risk of dementia occurring before the age of 65 is also 30% higher. On the other hand, in the case of late menopause, the risk is identical to that of women in their fifties.

Key messages for positive prevention :
In the case of menopause before the age of 45, it is advisable, even more than for all women, to propose preventive measures such as physical exercise, activities that promote cognitive abilities, stopping smoking and alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, a balanced diet and good vitamin replacement.

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/early-menopause-may-raise-risk-of-dementia-later-in-life

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