I heard this article yesterday and thought it was really interesting.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...fter-all-maybe

Specifically, the following excerpts from the article:

... "The effects of hormone therapy depend on the timing of use," Maki says. "Use later in life is detrimental, whereas use early in the menopausal transition could be beneficial." ...



It found that in two recent studies, women who started taking estrogen after age 65 were more likely to have trouble with thinking and memory. But women who started taking estrogen between 50 and 54 were not.


And estrogen may benefit the mental function of younger women because it reduces the hot flashes associated with menopause, Maki says.


"The more hot flashes a woman has, the worse her memory performance," Maki says, citing her own research. "And when we intervene to address those hot flashes, her memory performance bounces back."


Findings like that are renewing interest in the idea that someday, it may be possible to use hormones around the time of menopause to prevent Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia later on, Maki says.