Surgical Removal of Ovaries lead to Alzheimer's Disease in Women: Study

By: WE Staff | Friday, 6 December 2024

A study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that women with the APOE4 allele who underwent oophorectomy or surgically removing both ovaries before the age of 50 have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could help mitigate this risk by compensating for the loss of estradiol. A higher BMI was associated with a 7 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's in women who underwent oophorectomy.

The report says that women undergoing oophorectomy around the age of 43 had four times the odds of developing Alzheimer's compared to women having natural menopause at the of 54. Alzheimer's is projected to affect 12.7 million people by 20250, with women comprising two-thirds of the population. Research suggests that estrogen-based therapies could reduce Alzheimer's risk in women who had ovaries removed before age 50.

Dr. Gillian Einstein, University of Toronto, mentioned: "One of our most important findings was the fact that loss of the naturally occurring hormone (endogenous), estradiol, as a result of surgical removal of both ovaries, might interact with the APOE4 allele to further increase Alzheimer's disease risk, placing women with early bilateral oophorectomy and APOE4 in a state of double jeopardy."

Additionally, Dr. Noelia Calvo mentioned, "Higher BMI might be associated with a decreased Alzheimer's disease risk in women with ovary removal surgery because adipose tissue produces estrone, which, in the absence of estradiol due to oophorectomy, may help maintain cognitive function in early middle age."