Health Center - Menopause
If you've been asking, "Is it hot in here or is it me?" you've come to the right place. The months and years leading up to and following menopause can be bewildering at best, overwhelming at times. You've got questions. We’ve got answers.
Menopause Guide
Early Ovary Removal May Be Tied to Lapses in Memory, Thinking
The younger the surgical menopause patient, the more brain decline, preliminary research shows
By Mary Brophy Marcus
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The younger a woman is when she undergoes surgical menopause, the greater her chances of developing memory problems at an earlier age, new research suggests.
Surgical menopause describes the end of ovarian function due to gynecological surgery before the age of natural menopause. It involves the removal of one or both ovaries (an oophorectomy), often in combination with a hysterectomy, the removal of a woman's uterus.
"For women with surgically induced menopause, early age at menopause was associated with a faster decline in memory," said study author Dr. Riley Bove, an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School and an associate neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. However, she stressed, "These are very preliminary data."
