Effects of estrogen treatment on menopausal women

Hormone replacement therapy may protect menopausal women from stress-related memory loss. The sex hormone estrogen buffers working memory from the impact of stress, which is known to impair short-term working memory. Women going through menopause take hormone replacement therapy HRT which contains estrogen to offset hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and reduced sex drive. The treatment also blocks fluctuating hormones from affecting memory.

Estrogen can modify women's hormonal response to stress, researchers discovered that the treatment after menopause protects working memory needed for short-term cognitive tasks from the effects of stress. Stress prompts the hormonal system and the hypothalamus to release cortisol. Cortisol interferes with the activity of the hippocampus from making new neurons and neural connections, a process that is key to working memory.

HRT may reduce the response and cortisol, when there are environmental or immune system stressors. Stress can interference with prefrontal cognitive processes such as working memory.
HRT can reduce the HPA response to stress, the hormone may also mitigate the effects of stress on working memory by limiting the cortisol response to the stressor. Researchers examined different study participants, some received estrogen therapy for menopausal symptoms and others received a placebo for five years. The women provided saliva samples so their levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, was measured.

During two separate sessions, each woman completed a memory task where they were instructed to remember the final word of each sentence. Prior to one of the sessions, the women submerged their non-dominant hand in ice water for as long as possible, for a maximum of three minutes. During the other session, the women submerged the same hand in warm water before completing the memory test.

Although the women who were receiving estrogen therapy reported feeling more stressed by the cold water exposure than the women who received the placebo, they had lower levels of cortisol than their counterparts following the stress test. Women receiving HRT performed about the same on the memory task, regardless of whether they were exposed. sed to the cold water stressor in advance or not. Women who were taking the placebo performed worse on the memory task because of exposure to the cold water than they did when they were not exposed to a physical stressor.
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Menopause linked to changes in brain energy use

Researchers have found that women's brains use less energy during the menopause. The reduction in energy use by the brain was found to be similar to what is seen in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is characterised by changes in the brain beyond those associated with normal ageing and current research shows that women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than men.
Menopause can have widespread effects on women, including changes in behaviour, mood and sleep patterns.

Researchers studied changes in energy use in the brains of women before and during menopause. They examined healthy women between the ages of 40 to 60 and used an imaging technique known as PET scanning to assess levels of glucose, one of the major energy sources for the brain.

The team saw reductions in the use of energy in women during menopause. Menopausal women also scored lower on memory tests compared to those who had not gone through menopause, even after accounting for their slightly older age.

The researchers made the observation that those areas of the brain where energy use had dropped in menopause were similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer's disease. Menopause has impacts on a woman's life, it can lead to changes in the brain.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome increases the risk of diabetes

Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS is a hormonal disorder affecting women of reproductive age. PCOS is a condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work.

The common symptoms of PCOS are: irregular periods- which means the ovaries don't regularly release eggs. excess androgen - high levels of male hormones in the body, which may cause excess facial or body hair, polycystic ovaries- the ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) which surround the eggs.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS have higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers examined pre-menopausal women with a diagnosis of PCOS, the women with PCOS were compared with other females of a similar age who did not have PCOS and diabetes.

The researchers discovered that women with PCOS are at risk of developing diabetes compared to their mates who did not have the condition. They also discovered that higher body mass index, insulin, glucose levels and fat in the blood were also associated with development of diabetes.

High levels of insulin cause the ovaries to produce too much testosterone, which interferes with ovulation. Insulin resistance can also lead to weight gain, which can make PCOS symptoms worse, because having excess fat causes the body to produce more insulin. Presently, the cause of PCOS is unknown and there is no cure for the condition.
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