Endogenous estrogen is not associated with cognitive performance before, during, or after menopause

Objective: In a population-based sample of women (45, 50, or 55 years old), behavioral data and blood serum were collected concurrently, enabling us (1) to investigate cognitive differences among premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal groups of women and (2) to evaluate the relationship between blood estrogen levels and cognitive performance. Design: Groups of premenopausal (n = 129), perimenopausal (n = 58), and postmenopausal (IT = 55) women were tested on tasks assessing episodic and semantic memory, verbal fluency, visuospatial performance, and face recognition. Blood serum was collected concurrently for analyses of estrogen levels. Results: With inclusion of controls for age and education, results showed that there were no differences in cognitive performance among premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal groups of women. In addition, there were no associations between blood estrogen levels and cognitive performance. Conclusions: These results do not support the hypothesis that estrogen or menopausal status affects cognitive performance in middle-aged women.