The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (The WHIMS Study)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2008-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Excessive memory decline or dementia affects an increasing number of women as they become
older. The frequency of dementia doubles every 5 years beginning at age 60, making the
discovery of ways to prevent or slow the disease imperative. Previous studies have indicated
that changes in memory may be associated with the female hormonal decline that occurs after
menopause, but more research is needed to establish the link between menopause and poorer
memory function. It is believed that taking the female hormones estrogen and/or progesterone
may help improve women's health by protecting against memory decline. This study will
evaluate the effects of female hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the development and
progression of memory loss in older women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
study.
Details
Lead Sponsor:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Collaborators:
Wake Forest School of Medicine Wake Forest University Health Sciences