ABSTRACT
To study the differential effects of estrogen and progestin on memory in postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods: Thirty women between ages 45 and 60 years who had attained natural menopause and received combined estrogen progestin therapy constituted group I. While group II included 30 surgically menopausal women who received only estrogen, PGI memory scale having a battery of ten subtests devised specially for Indian subjects was used. Results were analyzed by repetitive measure analysis. Results: Women showed an improved score on memory scale after 6 months of HRT in both the groups. The comparison of both groups post therapy revealed improvement in scores of delayed recall & visual retention in group II indicating that only estrogen users benefited more. Conclusion: This study supports the view that estrogens with or without progestin if given early after menopause i.e. below 60 yrs if age do have a beneficial role on memory.