Brain Health of Women Beyond Middle Age: Hormonal and Non-hormonal Perspectives

The midlife transition in women’s ageingAgeing trajectory encompasses hormonal and non-hormonal events that coincide with their reproductive ageingAgeing. These events are known to be associated with the structural and functional changes in the brain, which are initiated in the peri-menopausal transition period. Women in their post-menopausal phase often suffer from frailty, locomotor function impairments, and cognitive declineCognitive decline besides developing psychological complications such as mood disordersMood disorders, insomnia, anxietyAnxiety, and depression that may have a long-lasting negative impact on their brain and mental healthMental health later in life. In clinical practice, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is prescribed for the management of these post-menopausal complications but adverse effects of HRT, such as the increase in the prevalence of breast cancer, pulmonary embolism, and endometrial cancer, etc., raise concerns about its safety and efficacy. In this book chapter, we aim to discuss the hormonal and non-hormonal basis of this midlife transition phase in women, and their impact on brain and mental healthMental health in ageingAgeing. Further, the role of adopting a healthy lifestyle during this window of opportunity i.e. peri-menopausal transition period for the management of these post-menopausal complications will also be discussed.