What happens after menopause? (WHAM): A prospective controlled study of cognition 24 months after premenopausal risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy

Abstract

Objective: Women with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants considering risk-reducing bilateral oophorectomy (RRSO) may be concerned about potential effects of surgical menopause on cognition. Whether RRSO affects cognition and whether hormone therapy (HT) modifies this effect remains uncertain. This study aimed to prospectively measure the effect of premenopausal RRSO on cognition and the modifying effects of HT up to 24 months. Methods: The design was a prospective, multisite (4 sites in Australia), 24-month observational study. Participants were premenopausal BRCA1/2 carriers (n = 83) planning RRSO referred from gynecology-oncology and familial cancer centers and a premenopausal comparison group (n..