Endogenous hormones in mid‐life and later‐life subjective memory impairment in women

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundReproductive hormones may impact cognition in women. Recent literature suggests that subjective memory complaints (SMCs) can be an early indicator of cognitive impairment. However, epidemiologic data are mixed, with few prospective studies exploring endogenous sex hormones in relation to later‐life SMCs. Assessing this potential association may elucidate an etiology of risk for cognitive impairment in women.MethodWe included 616 premenopausal and 102 postmenopausal women from the New York University Women’s Health Study (NYUWHS), a prospective cohort study with blood samples collected at enrollment (1985‐91) and over 35 years of follow‐up to collect health and lifestyle information. Women were ineligible for inclusion in the cohort if they used hormone medications or were pregnant 6 months prior to enrollment. Healthy controls from prior NYUWHS case‐control studies were eligible for participation in this study if their baseline blood sample had already been used to measure circulating hormones, and they responded to at least one of two follow‐up questionnaires (2018‐present) featuring 6 questions about SMCs. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of baseline hormones with subsequent SMCs, adjusting for age, race, education, original case‐control study, and body mass index (BMI) in a separate model.ResultAndrostenedione, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in samples collected at baseline for pre‐ and post‐menopausal women; estradiol and estrone were also measured in postmenopausal women. There were no significant associations between premenopausal circulating hormones or SHBG and SMCs. Postmenopausal hormones were inversely associated with SMCs, including in age and BMI‐adjusted models: ORs (95% CIs) for SMCs associated with doubling in testosterone and estradiol were 0.58 (0.35‐0.95) and 0.39 (0.17‐0.90), respectively.ConclusionHigher postmenopausal concentrations of testosterone and estradiol are inversely associated with risk of later‐life SMCs in women.