Estrogen exposure linked to fewer brain vessel disease markers

A Swedish study of 352 cognitively unimpaired women found that longer reproductive lifespans and menopausal hormone therapy use were associated with fewer MRI signs of small-vessel disease in the brain at age 70. The observational findings do not show that estrogen exposure or hormone therapy prevents brain disease. Researchers assessed reproductive histories and hormone use, then examined brain scans for signs of cerebral small-vessel disease, which affects tiny blood vessels and is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Each additional year between a woman’s first period and menopause was associated with about 8% lower odds of having two or more MRI markers at age 70. Women who had used menopausal hormone therapy had about 59% lower odds of high small-vessel disease burden than those who had not, the study reported. Hormone therapy use was also associated with better-preserved white matter, the tissue connecting brain regions. These results describe associations and do not establish that treatment caused the differences. The women were all 70 at the study’s start. Most had a second MRI about five years later, at age 75. Researchers used reproductive history and...