The Wall Street Journal has published a second article on hormone replacement that’s worth reading. (See my recap of an earlier article on HRT here).This one focuses on how taking Estrogen can help women reverse memory impairment associated with menopause.
First, the Health Journal columnist, Melinda Beck, points out the many functions that Estrogen controls in our bodies:
- Learning, memory and mood
- Stimulates the growth of dendritic spines that enable nerve cells to communicate
- Increases the level of neurotransmitters
- regulates glucose, inflammation and antioxidants in the brain
So, it makes sense that along with hot flashes, memory loss in menopause is quite common. So why do we hesitate to take HRT? While there have been numerous studies showing the benefits of Estrogen on cognitive problems during menopause, the Womens Health Initiative Memory Study found contradictory results, which led the FDA to issue an ominous statement that HRT should be “used in the lowest dose that helps… and for the shortest time that you need them.”
The WSJ article points out the flaws of the WHI study and states that many experts think the study’s findings “needlessly frightened some women away from estrogen who might have benefited from it.” Nevertheless, the jury is still out, the debate continues, and we still do not know which study or “expert” to stake our life on.
If you are taking 17-beta Estradiol, have you noticed an improvement in your memory?
{ 0 comments… add one now }
Leave a Comment