Women who experience menopause before age 40 are more likely to face cognitive decline than those who enter menopause after age 50. The findings, based on longitudinal data from nearly 5,000 women, suggest that early menopause may be an independent risk factor for dementia, even after accounting for depression and other variables. Women with later menopause performed better on memory and orientation tests than men, while hormone replacement therapy showed no significant cognitive effect.
