As defined by neuroscientist, nutritionist, and affiliate director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical Faculty Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D., in a mindbodygreen podcast episode, reproductive hormones play an enormous position in defending our brains from harm (such because the amyloid plaques related to Alzheimer’s illness). 

“The interactions between the mind and the reproductive organs are actually essential for mind well being and mind getting old—particularly in ladies,” she says. “We have a tendency to think about testosterone [and] estrogens as concerned in copy, having youngsters. However in actuality, these hormones have a whole lot of results inside our brains.” 

“Particularly, they actually push our neurons to deliver glucose to make vitality. So in case your hormones are excessive, your mind vitality is excessive. However then what occurs to testosterone is that it does not fairly decline that a lot over time; whereas for ladies, estrogens just about plummet when ladies undergo menopause,” Mosconi shares. 

It is this plummet in estrogen that leaves ladies’s brains particularly susceptible after they hit menopause of their 40s or 50s. “Should you consider these hormones as having some form of superpowers for the mind, ladies lose the superpower across the time that menopause hits, proper? And the mind is left somewhat extra susceptible,” Mosconi says.

Like menopause, having your uterus or ovaries eliminated (i.e., a hysterectomy or oophorectomy) additionally ends in a drastic drop in estrogen ranges. Different durations of hormonal fluctuations—equivalent to puberty and being pregnant—affect estrogen ranges as effectively, which explains why some hormonal well being elements depart ladies at increased danger whereas others assist defend their brains.