Menopause May Cause Learning Troubles
Reported May 28, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) The transition to menopause affects more than just your body; it may actually temporarily cause learning troubles for some women, according to the largest study of its kind.
Researchers studied 2,362 women between the ages of 42 and 52 who had at least one menstrual period in the prior three months. These women were given three tests verbal memory, working memory and a test that measured the speed at which they processed information. They were also tested during the four stages of menopause transition: premenopausal (no change in menstrual periods), early perimenopausal (menstrual irregularity but no gaps of 3 months), late perimenopausal (having no period for three to 11 months) and postmenopausal (no period for 12 months).
The study’s findings suggest early and late perimenopausal women do not learn as well as they do during other menopause transition stages. The findings back up previous research that found that as many as 60 percent of women have reported memory problems during the menopause transition.
There is some good news, however. Researchers said the effects on learning seem to be temporary and by the postmenopausal period, most women are back to their premenopausal levels. The researchers said their study also showed taking estrogen or progesterone hormones before menopause helped verbal memory and processing speed, but taking these hormones after the final menstrual period had a negative effect.
SOURCE: Neurology, May 26, 2009