Longer Reproductive Life Does Not Prevent Alzheimer's in Women

A longer reproductive life does not prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease in women, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Some have theorized that women who have a later menopause have a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, researchers said that after adjusting for multiple co-variates, their study indicated that women with natural menopause and more reproductive years have an increased risk of developing dementia.

Researchers from The Rotterdam Study in the Netherlands studied over 3,500 women, age 55 years or older who did not have dementia, where information was available on age at menarche, age at menopause, and type of menopause. Participants were examined in 1993-1994 and 1997-1999 and were continuously monitored for the development of dementia.

During the follow up, 199 women developed dementia, including 159 who developed Alzheimer's disease.

Other sources: JAMA