FEASIBILITY STUDY

About the Study

Two-thirds of those living with Alzheimer's Disease are women. Menopause, marked by a decline in the hormone estrogen, may contribute to this difference in prevalence. Memory and thinking complaints during menopause are very common. However, the impact of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to help alleviate these symptoms and potential impact on future dementia risk is not yet fully understood.

We are planning a very large study to investigate whether taking HRT affects memory and thinking over 9 months, and whether this differs based on certain individual characteristics like genetic risk for Alzheimer's Disease. However, we first need to understand if our study methods work.

This initial, small pilot study will test whether it is possible and acceptable to measure memory and thinking abilities outside of a clinic setting using a specially built website and tasks. It will also test the relevance of our questionnaires to women's menopause experience. We will then use the results from this study to inform our larger clinical study methods.

Who Can Participate?

We are looking for 30 women aged 35 - 70 years who have been newly prescribed HRT within the last 6 months to take part in this study. All study activities will be online and will need to be completed on a laptop or desktop computer.

If you are interested in taking part in this study, please read the study information sheet by clicking here and contact our team at e.budden@bsms.ac.uk.

What Will You Be Asked to Do?

Participants will firstly be asked to complete:

• Online questionnaires including questions on demographics, menopause and reproductive and general health (approximately 15 minutes).
• Online memory and thinking tasks (approximately 45 minutes).

They will then be asked for some online written feedback on their experience. There is also a further, optional interview with the research team. We will then work with our participants to finalise our research methods for the main study.

Participants will receive a £10 gift voucher at the end of the study as a thank you for their time. Participants taking part in the interview will also receive an additional £30 voucher.

Why is This Research Important?

Our research will help in understanding how HRT impacts memory and thinking during menopause, especially for women at higher dementia risk. This will help clinicians prescribe better-targeted treatment. This research will also contribute to understanding how HRT might impact dementia risk and long-term cognitive health, informing strategies to promote healthy aging.

To ensure we carry out research that is as effective as possible, it is important to work with those impacted by the research to ensure our methods are feasible and relevant.