Ovary Removal May Up Dementia Risk
Ovary Removal May Up Dementia Risk
Study Shows Estrogen May Help Protect Younger Women's Brains
Aug. 29, 2007 -- New research is raising important questions about the protective benefits of estrogen on the brain and the long-term risks of removing the ovaries before menopause.
Women in a 30-year follow-up study who had ovaries surgically removed before menopause had nearly double the risk for developing age-related dementia later in life. But the increased risk was not seen in women who had both ovaries removed and were also treated with estrogen until at least age 50.
The study, published in the latest online issue of the journal Neurology, suggests there is a "critical age window" for the protective effect of estrogen on women's brains, says researcher Walter A Rocca, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"It is possible that estrogen has a protective effect on the brain and that lack of estrogen due to ovary removal may increase a woman's risk of developing memory problems," Rocca says in a news release.
The study included roughly 1,500 women who had one or both ovaries surgically removed before age 50 and an equal number of women who did not have the surgery.
The women were followed for an average of 27 years, during which time they were interviewed to determine if they had developed memory problems and other age-related cognitive issues.
Rocca and colleagues found that the younger the women were when they had their ovaries removed, the more likely they were to develop dementia later in life unless they received treatment to replace the estrogen their bodies were no longer producing.
Of the 427 women in the study who had surgery to remove both ovaries prior to age 49, only one out of five was also treated with estrogen therapy until at least age 50.
These estrogen-treated women showed no increase in later dementia risk, compared to women who still had their ovaries.
The doubling in risk seen in women who had both ovaries removed but did not have estrogen replacement therapy until at least age 50 has important clinical implications for younger women facing choices about ovary removal and estrogen replacement following surgery, Rocca says.
Ovary Removal May Up Dementia Risk
Study Shows Estrogen May Help Protect Younger Women's Brains
Aug. 29, 2007 -- New research is raising important questions about the protective benefits of estrogen on the brain and the long-term risks of removing the ovaries before menopause.
Women in a 30-year follow-up study who had ovaries surgically removed before menopause had nearly double the risk for developing age-related dementia later in life. But the increased risk was not seen in women who had both ovaries removed and were also treated with estrogen until at least age 50.
The study, published in the latest online issue of the journal Neurology, suggests there is a "critical age window" for the protective effect of estrogen on women's brains, says researcher Walter A Rocca, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"It is possible that estrogen has a protective effect on the brain and that lack of estrogen due to ovary removal may increase a woman's risk of developing memory problems," Rocca says in a news release.
Estrogen Protects Brain
The study included roughly 1,500 women who had one or both ovaries surgically removed before age 50 and an equal number of women who did not have the surgery.
The women were followed for an average of 27 years, during which time they were interviewed to determine if they had developed memory problems and other age-related cognitive issues.
Rocca and colleagues found that the younger the women were when they had their ovaries removed, the more likely they were to develop dementia later in life unless they received treatment to replace the estrogen their bodies were no longer producing.
Of the 427 women in the study who had surgery to remove both ovaries prior to age 49, only one out of five was also treated with estrogen therapy until at least age 50.
These estrogen-treated women showed no increase in later dementia risk, compared to women who still had their ovaries.
The doubling in risk seen in women who had both ovaries removed but did not have estrogen replacement therapy until at least age 50 has important clinical implications for younger women facing choices about ovary removal and estrogen replacement following surgery, Rocca says.
