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Menopause & Memory Loss? Study: Nearly 700 premenopausal Chinese women ages 40 to 54 were tested to assess their memory and cognitive skills. The same tests were then repeated 18 months later during which time 23% of the women began to have symptoms of menopause. There was no significant difference on their tests scores between the beginning and the end of the study, leading the authors to conclude that women going into menopause don't need to worry about any cognitive decline. Comment: The results of this study are "in press" in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society under the title "Alterations in Cognitive Function During the Menopausal Transition." A Letter to the Editor with a similar title authored by the same researchers appeared in March 2003. We assume that this means that there is ongoing follow-up of this group of women. The conclusion that menopause is not associated with memory loss seem premature given the fact that only some of the women have become menopausal. Furthermore, 18 months isn't much time compared to a woman's average lifespan. Most women are now living many years beyond their menopause and it is during all their postmenopausal years that cognitive decline is a major worry. Barbara K. Hecht,Ph.D.
Frederick Hecht, M.D.
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