Early oophorectomy may impact women’s brain health: study

A recent study found that early removal of the ovaries, especially before the age of 40, can impact a woman’s brain health.

Researchers have found that women who have their ovaries removed before menopause may be at greater risk of developing reduced white matter integrity in the brain as they age.

White matter integrity refers to the condition and functionality of the white matter, or nerve fibers or axons, in the brain. Decreased white matter integrity is typically seen with age and in people suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis and stroke. It is also associated with cognitive impairment and various neurological problems.

“We know that removing both ovaries before natural menopause causes sudden endocrine dysfunction, which increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. However, little neuroimaging research has been done to better understand the underlying mechanisms,” said study author Michelle Mielke of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in A. Press Release.

The research team reached these conclusions after analyzing data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, which included women over 50 and used diffusion tensor imaging, an MRI technique used to measure the brain’s white matter.

The test including 22 participants who underwent premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO) – removal of both ovaries – before the age of 40, 43 participants who underwent PBO between the ages of 40 and 45, 39 participants who underwent PBO between the ages of 46 and 49 years and 907 participants who had PBO between the ages of 46 and 49 and 907 participants who did not have PBO before the age of 50.

The researchers noted that participants with PBO before the age of 40 had significantly reduced white matter integrity in many areas of the brain. Although similar trends were observed in both remaining groups, many results were not statistically significant.

Because approximately 80% of participants had previously used estrogen replacement therapy after oophorectomy, the investigators were unable to assess whether the employ of estrogen replacement therapy after PBO reduced its effects on white matter integrity.

The researchers caution that more research is needed to understand how changes in white matter are linked to cognitive impairment.

“Although women should consider these results before undergoing bilateral premenopausal oophorectomy for non-cancer conditions, we need a larger and more diverse cohort of women to confirm these results,” Mielke said.

“Removal of both ovaries causes a keen drop in both estrogen and testosterone in women. Therefore, one possible explanation for our results is the loss of both estrogen and testosterone,” Mielke added.