Estradiol and Cognition in the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) Cohort Study.

Cardiovascular Risk factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) is a Finnish population-based study. 731 cognitively normal women had self-reported hormone therapy (HT) data in 1998 as: no use, use ≤5 years, and >5 years. Information on type of HT was only available from 1995-1998 (Prescription Register). Cognition was assessed in 1998 and 2005-2008. Long-term (>5 years) HT use, especially use of estradiol alone among women having hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy, was associated with better episodic memory in 1998, but not in 2005-2008. Although a strong evidence for protective effect of estradiol on cognition was not observed in our study, improved global cognition among long-term users suggests that long-term postmenopausal HT may be beneficial for some cognitive domains.