Lifetime estrogen exposure linked to improved brain health in women

Researchers from the University of Kansas have shown a link between reproductive hormone exposure throughout life and brain health in 459 women aged 65 to 80. They discovered older women who had used hormonal birth control in young adulthood were more likely to have larger volumes in brain regions vital to memory, cognition and information processing.

It's showing a protective effect - using estrogen-based hormone therapies was beneficial for the brain in older women. What's unique about this paper is we looked at the use of hormone-based medications both in early adulthood and in midlife, and the use of both of those was associated with brain health in older adult women."

Amber Watts, co-lead author, professor of psychology at KU and frequent collaborator with KU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center scientists

The KU researcher said evidence suggested it may be the lifetime accumulation of estrogen exposure, first from birth control and later from menopausal hormone therapy, that provides the beneficial effect. So, the KU team examined three possibilities for hormone exposure: