Hormone replacement therapy should not be discouraged say scientists as oestrogen may have protective effect on memory and thinking
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.
The study, published in Jama Network Open, estimated that for every 53 women who had both ovaries removed, one would go on to develop Parkinson’s disease, or symptoms such as tremors and muscle rigidity.