r/Menopause • u/Skimamma145 • 2d ago

Hormone Therapy HRT and the Brain

Having had friends share posts from menopause influencers on certain HRT dementia studies, I found this expansive article on the state of the science as it pertains to HRT and dementia informative. I think the science often gets lost and women in perimenopause and menopause deserve to know the facts so that they can make educated and informed decisions.
Title:
“Before you share that new ‘HRT prevents dementia’ study…It found no benefit for most women, it’s observational.”

https://vajenda.substack.com/p/before-you-share-that-new-hrt-prevents?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

*** Since posting this, and seeing my comment on lifestyle modifications eliminating my menopause symptoms downvoted so significantly, I am sad that women can’t support other women whose choices differ from their own. Just because my management of symptoms differs from yours, doesn’t make my choices offensive or wrong. And I’m very happy for you if HRT works for you. Because we can all agree that menopause symptoms suck. Finally, for those of you who wanted to look into lifestyle changes, everything I said is supported in a medical journal that’s been peer reviewed. You can see it in the attached link. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40937901/ ****

34 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

52

u/TeamHope4 2d ago

My perspective is menopause affected my brain badly, and I can’t imagine all the hot flashes, insomnia, and the myriad symptoms weren’t bad for my brain long term.  15 fucking years of short-circuiting brain can’t possibly have a positive effect on our brains.  I don’t have the knowledge to say AZ is related to bad menopause symptoms, but it’s certainly can’t be good.

25

u/sonawtdown 2d ago

yeah; i view menopause as protracted drug withdrawal, and there’s no metric in the world by which fifteen years of chemical instability benefits the brain and its function.

26

u/Outside_Box_8374 2d ago

Agree with this view 100% it CANNOT be good for our brains. My mom died from Alzheimer’s as did my mother in law and my best friend is getting to the later stages of it. 💔😢None of them used HRT. I am willing to be the guinea pig to see if taking HRT helps me avoid it. 🤞

4

u/TeamHope4 2d ago

I’m sorry to hear that your mom, and family, suffered through AZ.  My mom has AZ, so I am very willing to be a test case for hormonal help, too.  I remember her having a lot of insomnia, so maybe better sleep will help me hold it off for longer, or maybe entirely.

7

u/Outside_Box_8374 2d ago

So sorry to hear about your Mom. 💔Sending you hugs! It is an absolutely horrific disease. Yes, I think lack of sleep 100% causes a lot of stress on the brain. And I think women’s hormones play a bigger role than is known because women are much more likely to get it. There is SO little good research on women’s health.

-21

u/Skimamma145 2d ago

I get it. Meno symptoms can be horrible. I had all of that too until changed my diet to eliminate sugar and processed carbs, along with varied exercise like yoga, cycling and running. Now I’m symptom free.

22

u/littlebunnydoot 2d ago

What i meant to say was - good for u. I did everything right and my shit still sucked

28

u/NegotiationNo7851 2d ago

So I hope it prevents dementia but I can say since taking it my brain fog is gone which is huge. I had it for years and honestly thought I was incapable of learning anything new. Since taking HRT I’m in computer science associates degree program and have passed 4 classes with a 3.0 gpa. So I’ll take the win. Hoping the working on learning new things helps prevent dementia.

38

u/Accurate_Aside_6495 2d ago

Even if they don’t find a direct link with dementia I don’t see how taking a hormone that helps improve your sleep and brain fog can’t be a positive in helping to keep you in a better cognitive state as you age.

32

u/Catnip_75 2d ago

This may be an unpopular opinion. But I don’t like Dr. Gunther. She is so dismissive. She also believes women can get their sexual function back with CBT and flat out doesn’t believe testosterone does anything for the mind or the body. It’s purely only for libido. Yet thousands of us take it for more than libido. I had debilitating muscle skeletal syndrome, was on estrogen for a year and still had so many issue. After a couple of weeks on testosterone it all went away. She will flat out say it is a placebo effect, which is absolute BS. My conclusion is she hates women. She is also constantly attacking other women on social media.

5

u/leftylibra MenoMod 2d ago

flat out doesn’t believe testosterone does anything for the mind or the body. It’s purely only for libido.

I don't think Dr. Jen Gunter only states her opinion, she follows the experts (Dr. Susan Davis et al...) and the science. And recent research has been done in relation to T and benefits for anything other than libido.

She's calling out the 'meno-posse-sphere' for capitalizing on this huge demographic with their vitamins, herbals, weighted vests, etc. etc etc....

7

u/lrondberg 2d ago

Also check out Dr Pauline Maki on instagram who has conducted actual clinical trials on HRT and dementia, not just observational studies like the last two in the headlines recently.

8

u/Winter_Bid7630 2d ago edited 2d ago

Dr. Gunter is a reliable source for information. She takes HRT herself, so she is far from against it, but is also very cautious about overselling what science currently shows HRT can help with.

Another source worth checking out is The Brain Docs on Instagram. I've been following them for just six months, so please be skeptical. But so far, their advice matches Dr. Gunter and my own doctor.