Oestrogen may be protective for the brain against neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia, and women should not be discouraged from taking hormone replacement therapy, scientists have said.
A new study by the Mayo Clinic in the US has found that surgical removal of both ovaries was associated with a five fold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in pre-menopausal women under the age of 43.
Researchers have suggested that one explanation may be the loss of oestrogen – or another ovarian hormone – which accelerates biological ageing in the brain, suggesting that oestrogen is having a protective effect.
Women experience a sharp decline in oestrogen during menopause, which can bring symptoms including hot flushes, brain fog and mood changes.
Scientists now believe that menopause reshapes the brain with Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, and University of Arizona, recently finding reductions in grey matter and changes in blood flow.
They believe that giving HRT early could stave off such brain changes before they become irreversible, but women have struggled to get hold of therapy in recent months because of supply shortages.
