Sagnik Nag, Amity University Kolkata
A new study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), claims that a woman’s menopause stage is a key factor that can affect cognitive performance, and declines in memory may persist in the post-menopause period and, contrary to previous studies, shows that certain cognitive declines may continue into the post-menopause period.
It’s commonly presumed that people’s memories decline with age, as does their cognitive ability to learn new things and grasp challenging concepts. But multiple scientific studies have claimed that menopause is a very sex-specific risk factor for cognitive dysfunction which is indeed independent of aging and menopause symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and hot flashes. This scientific study involved more than 440 primarily low-income women of color, including women infected with HIV, concluded that the menopause stage is a key determinant factor of cognition but that clinically significant cognitive impairment persists into postmenopause, affecting the primary learning abilities and memory.
Researchers have theorized that the anomaly in results relative to the duration of cognitive and meta-cognitive decline could be easily explained by the fact that this newer study included more low-income women with multiple risk factors for cognitive dysfunction and the presence of HIV. Previous studies have stated that cognitive function is well compromised by an array of risk factors and comorbidities, including HIV, poverty, low education, substance abuse, high levels of stress, limited access to quality healthcare, and mental health problems. This study specifically showed apparent cognitive declines over time in learning, memory, and attention from premenopause to early perimenopause and from premenopause to postmenopause. Many of these changes were well documented to reach a clinically significant level of cognitive impairment.
Keep up the good work Sagnik! Excellent research work!