Reproductive period and cognitive function in a representative sample of naturally postmenopausal women aged 60-64 years

Abstract

Background: Greater lifetime estrogen exposure has been postulated to result in better cognition in later life, particularly in the area of verbal memory. In women, the highest levels of endogenous estrogen occur during their reproductive period, between menarche and menopause. Objective: To investigate the association between reproductive period and cognition. Methods: The sample consisted of 760 naturally postmenopausal women aged 60-64 years (mean age 62.5 ± 1.5 years) participating in the PATH Through Life Study who were randomly drawn from the population of Canberra, Australia. Participants were administered a verbal learning test (immediate recall and 1-minute delay), the Mini-Mental S..