– American Academy of Neurology
News
– Women who used estrogen-only hormone therapy later in life were less likely to develop dementia and showed fewer signs of Alzheimerâs disease in their brains, according to a large study of more than 21,000 participants. Hormone therapy use was linked to 39% lower odds of a dementia diagnosis and 35% lower odds of Alzheimerâs-related brain changes at autopsy, including amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Biomarker tests also suggested less amyloid buildup among hormone therapy users.
A large study has found that women who used hormone therapy later in life had a lower risk of developing dementia. The findings were published August 12, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers emphasized that the results show an association and do not demonstrate that hormone therapy can prevent dementia.
Details
“While these findings help us better understand the relationship between hormone therapy use and various markers of dementia, more research needs to be done before we can make recommendations to women about their use of these therapies in relation to their brain health,” said study author Jennifer Bruno, PhD, of Stanford Medicine in Stanford, California. “This study looked back at women who were using hormone therapy decades ago with the timing and type of use differing from what is current prac
More Than 21,000 Women Studied
Researchers analyzed medical information from two large data sets that together included 21,462 female participants who underwent clinical testing while they were alive. In one data set, 728 participants received brain scans or biomarker testing during life. In the other, 2,959 participants underwent autopsies after death, at an average age of 82, so researchers could look for evidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
Analysis
Participants in the two data sets were followed for about three to five years, beginning at an average age of 71.
Among all participants, 1,953 used hormone therapy and 19,509 did not. On average, the women who received hormone therapy began using it after age 70.
The analysis focused only on estrogen-only therapy. Earlier studies had suggested that treatment combining estrogen with progestin may raise dementia risk. Under current medical practice, estrogen-only therapy is prescribed only to people who have undergone a hysterectomy because of the risk of endometrial cancer.
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