I've been reading a book from the library called "Perimenopause" by Huston and Lank (2001). It's comprehensive and written in an easy-to-read, almost conversational style. Here are some quotes:
"It is generally believed that women live longer than
men because of the cardiovascular protection estrogen provides." This is the cardiovascular protection estrogen provides up to menopause, when the last estrogen and progesterone-producing egg follicle is released from the ovaries. Haha, it's good to be girly. Take that, boys!
"Memory and other thought processes depend on adequate
estrogen levels. Estrogen receptors in your brain cells receive
estrogen molecules, which then improve the transmission of
impulses from one neuron to the next. In addition, estrogen use
increases the actual number of functioning nerve cells. The more
neurons you have, the larger the network of functioning nerve
cells, and the better your brain functions. Estrogen supplements
in elderly women have been shown to decrease the incidence of
Alzheimer's diseases (AD) by 29% (Yaffe 1998), but in women who
already have AD, estrogen does not slow the progression (Mulnard
2000). Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),
it has been demonstrated that estrogen-deficient women have
reduced blood circulation to the brain, particularly to the areas
responsible for memory. During hot flashes, such women have even
further decreases in cerebral circulation. In fact, these women
had temporary vascular changes during a hot flash typically seen
in women with milk to moderate AD (Greene 1998). Hormone
replacement normalized cerebral blood flow. This suggests that
hot flashes over time could contribute to neurodegenerative
changes. Women have brain glucose needs 19% higher than men and
are more susceptible to diminished circulation (Baxter 1987).
This may explain the higher incidence of AD in estrogen-deficient
women than in men." Right. Mental note - as well as being unpleasant, hot flashes are bad for your brain. Of course I'll probably forget this in 5minutes time.
I've been prompted to read this book by noticing that my memory has deteriorated a little in the last couple of years. Initially I put this down to grieving, but I'm now willing to blame it on the hormones a little more. Or decrease in hormones. There is a lovely graph in the book showing estrogen peaking in women at around age 35, and declining thereafter at a steep and steady rate until the last menstrual period at around 50. Jeepers, I missed that starting window didn't I. Where was I at 35? Oh yes, that's right, my 35th birthday passed in a haze of mastitis and sleep deprivation, with newborn Keith and almost-2-year-old-Nicole. No wonder I couldn't have cared less about what else may have been going on in my body. I do remember a particularly exciting day when Keith was a couple of weeks old, when he slept for 4 hours overnight for the first time. When I got up in the morning (5am) to start the day, I felt like I could run a marathon! Later than morning, I exclaimed to my father-in-law "I had 4 hours sleep in a row last night - I feel fantastic!" He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe I could be excited by having 4 hours sleep, and also expressed something like "I don't know how you women cope with this." Hormones, my friend, hormones.
After being pulled over by the police recently for driving an unregistered car (I'd forgotten to pay it) and being threatened by the retailer we buy gas from that they were going to cut us off (forgot to pay that too), I've realized that relying on memory alone isn't going to cut it anymore. I've had to set in place systems to make sure these critical things get paid. And it seems to be working thus far (I just hope I don't lose that diary!)
I went to the shops this morning for a few essentials (hot chocolate powder, sanitary products, iced coffee - yes it's that time of the month again), and when I returned to my car, I couldn't find my keys. Puzzled, I sat in the driver's seat and pondered my next move. I hadn't locked the car, you see, as I locked my keys IN the car not so long ago and had to call my husband to drive to rescue me with the spare set. I sipped my iced coffee (ahhhhhh) and wondered if I should walk home, or mount a bigger search of the vehicle, and the shop I'd just been into. And then I saw a glint of light reflecting from something next to the steering wheel. Yes, that's right, I'd left them in the ignition. In the unlocked car. Oh good. Luckily for me the 26year old Subaru is not on the top 10 list for car thieves.
As much as I complain about these monthly bleeds, I suspect I'll miss them when they are gone, or at least, miss what they represent - my capacity to have more children.
Hormones. Love them or hate them, they're part of who we are as human beings. Gotta love them.
Yaffe, K.Y. 1998. Serum estrogen levels, cognitive performance,
and risk of cognitive decline in older community women. Journal
of the American Geriatric Society 46:918-919
Mulnard, R.A., et al. 2000. Estrogen replacement therapy for
treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Journal
of the American Medical Association 283:1007-1015
Greene, R.A., et al. 1998. Comparison between cerebral blood flow
in hypoestrogenic women and patients with Alzheimer's disease - a
descriptive study. Neurobiology of Aging 19(4)S180
Baxter, L.R., et al. 1987. Cerebral glucose metabolic rates in
normal human females vs normal males. Psychiatry Research
21(3):137-145
