Washington US January 15 ANI Severe depression and sexual dysfunction can affect a woman's orientation, registration, attention, recall, and language and visuospatial skills, according to a new study.
The results are published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society NAMS Menopause. They are often accompanied by an array of symptoms that can detract from a woman's quality of life. A new study shows that the severity of some of these symptoms -- particularly depression and sexual dysfunction -- was linked to a woman's cognitive performance.
Although menopause is a natural phenomenon, not all women experience it the same way. The severity and frequency of symptoms can vary greatly from one woman to the next.
The effects of these symptoms on a woman's physical and mental well-being have been evaluated in previous studies. This new study, involving more than 400 women, looked at the effects of menopause symptoms on overall cognitive performance and its five domains, including orientation, registration, attention, recall, language and visuospatial skills.
The researchers in this new study looked at the severity of common menopause symptoms as sexual dysfunction, vasomotor symptoms, depression, and anxiety.
They concluded that the cognitive performance of women is sensitive to the severity of certain menopause symptoms, particularly depression and sexual dysfunction. In this study, there was no association between the severity of vasomotor symptoms and cognitive performance, although other studies have suggested that such an association exists.
The results of the study are published in the article Is the cognitive performance of women sensitive to the severity of menopausal symptoms? This study shows the effect of menopause symptoms on cognitive functioning and demonstrates a link between severe depressive and sexual symptoms with cognitive performance. Mood disturbances are common in the menopause transition and can affect memory and sexual functioning, says Dr Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.