Can Hormone Therapy Improve Brain Health During Menopause?
Recent research suggests that Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) may help alleviate cognitive symptoms like 'brain fog' in addition to traditional physical symptoms. The study indicates that a combination of estriol and progesterone could be a safe and effective treatment option.
Why it matters
This research addresses a significant gap in medical treatment for cognitive health during menopause, which currently lacks FDA-approved options.
Currently, MHT is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help relieve hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and dyspareunia (pain during sex).
However, recent research has found that MHT may also help improve mental symptoms like “ brain fog ” and mood changes .
Other research also found that MHT does not affect dementia risk. This research followed the FDA’s removal of the black box warning on these products, which suggested they may increase the risk.
Together, these studies show that MHT may help people experiencing menopause in ways not previously realized and that it is generally safe to use.
Research published in Scientific Reports on September 1 suggests that an estrogen hormone treatment that combines estriol and progesterone may help ease the symptoms of brain fog during menopause .
Brain fog may involve memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, and slower thinking.
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