A recent study by Stanford Medicine, funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that women using estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) had 35% lower odds of Alzheimer’s disease and 39% lower odds of any dementia diagnosis.
The study examined two databases of 21,462 participants, including an autopsy arm of 258 women who had used estrogen-only MHT compared with 2,701 non-users. Alongside reducing disease risk, MHT users showed better memory recall and cognitive function overall compared to non-users. Additionally, autopsies showed fewer Alzheimer’s-related markers – including amyloid plaque density and neurofibrillary tangles. These findings were further supported by blood- and cerebrospinal-fluid-based biomarkers.
“The recent medical literature suggests that MHT is more beneficial when initiated during or soon after menopause,” said the study’s senior author Hadi Hosseini, PhD. “The women in our study tended to be older. If anything, our finding underestimated the benefit due to their late initiation of therapy.”
Long associated with potential health risks, particularly breast cancer, hormone replacement therapy is seeing renewed attention after the FDA removed its black-box warning in 2025. New research is also highlighting potential benefits of MHT for managing menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, brain fog, and osteopenia, while exploring its potential relationship with Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease.
