The effect of hormone replacement therapy on mood and everyday memory in younger mid-life women

Abstract

Research on the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on both mood and memory indicates that oestrogen may enhance verbal memory in younger mid-aged women. This study examined the effect of HRT on everyday memory, while accounting for mood changes, in women between ages 40 and 60. A within-subjects comparison of 17 women, showed that mood, everyday memory, working memory, and delayed verbal memory improved after 3 months of HRT use. The improvement in memory was not mediated by mood, but changes in mood were moderated by exercise habits. The results suggest that verbal memory in particular may be enhanced by HRT in this age group, and everyday memory is an important construct to consider in future research.

Keywords:

• HRT
• mood
• everyday memory
• mid-life women
• cognitive functioning
• menopause

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Virginia Bristow

The survey on which this report is based was supported by a grant to Nancy Pachana and Christine Stephens from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.