Lifetime endogenous estrogen exposure in women influences risk of dementia

Background The female reproductive period – menarche to menopause – can serve as a proxy for lifetime endogenous estrogen exposure. A foreshortened reproductive period, either naturally or secondary to medical intervention, has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), supporting the hypothesis that estrogen exposure is neuroprotective. Prior studies have been limited by small sample sizes, and confounding effects of...