HRT Helps Clear Brain Fog

Hormone replacement therapy can often help women with the physical symptoms of menopause, and new research indicates it may also help them to keep their wits through it all.

The key is the additional doses of the hormone estrogen that HRT distributes throughout the body. A study reported in the scientific journal Neurology says the treatment slows some of the effects of aging in the brain for two out of three women 65 years of age and older.

Dr. Karen Yaffe, a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, says she tested the mental powers of 3,393 women over a seven-year period.

Her research found that women on HRT were less likely to suffer from hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. "Less atherosclerosis may prevent the small vessel strokes that result in mental deterioration as we age," she said, thereby helping women maintain their mental edge.

As always, consult your doctor about whether HRT may be right for you.