and your Brain
The menopause occurs when a woman’s body stops producing estrogen. Much has been written about the symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, hot flashes, foggy memory, low libido, and so on. However, this loss of estrogen which results in menopause also has an effect on the brain.
Estrogen has been linked with reducing mild symptoms ofAlzheimer’s disease. The theory is that estrogen supports the production of acetylcholine, a chemical that helps transmit nerve signals across synapses in the region of the brain where new memories are formed (the hippocampus).Acetylcholine is abnormally low in Alzheimer’s sufferers and may explain their impaired abilities to learn and remember.
Estrogen creates more connections among nerve cells, and it helps information travel more easily along those connections. Less estrogen, accordingly, means a harder time remembering and learning new things.
Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD is a top Menopause Specialist in NYC. He is a recent past President of the International Menopause Society and a Certified Menopause Practitioner in private practice for over 25 years.According to Dr Goldstein, a top Menopause Specialist in NYC, women are three times more likely than men to suffer fromAlzheimer’s disease because while they stop producing estrogen at menopause, men’s bodies continue to convert testosterone to estrogen as they age.
In 1996 research at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York discovered that women taking estrogen supplements for at least ten years were 30 to 40 percent less likely to developAlzheimer’s. The longer the women took estrogen supplements, the more protection it provided against the disease – up to 5 percent more protection each year.Although more long term prospective clinical studies are necessary, these results are heartening for women with a family history of Alzheimer’s.
Dr Steven R. Goldstein is the co author of “The Estrogen Alternative” and is also a hormone specialist in NYC. Dr Goldstein has helped thousands of women over 25 years in private practice to cope with the symptoms of menopause by using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Many women experience foggy memory during the menopause, however the lack of estrogen can also affect your brain. If you are a woman approaching menopause or in the midst of the menopause and have a history of alzheimer’s disease in your family and you are concerned that it may affect you, then schedule a consultation with Dr Goldstein in his New York City Office.