Exploring the Association Between Reproductive Health and Cognitive Function in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women: Insights from a HABS-HD Study

Purpose: Alzheimer ’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to memory loss, cognitive deficits, and behavioral changes. Given the disproportionate effect of AD on women, it is crucial to understand the risk factors, including reproductive health variables, that may contribute to the development of dementia and AD. This study aimed to examine the association between reproductive health variables such as bilateral oophorectomy and pregnancy complications and cognitive performance in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. Met hods : Self-reported data from cognitively normal 309 women (165 non-Hispanic white and 144 Hispanic) enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study: Hea th Disparities (HABS-HD) project were analyzed. Reproductive health variables examined included bilateral oophorectomy, pregnancy complications, and number of pregnancies. The cognit ive assessment comprised of neuropsychological test scores in five domains: memory, executive functioning, attention, language, and global cognition. Linear regression statistical analyses were conducted, with ethnicity serving as a stratification variable. Results: Bilateral oophorectomy was linked to decreased immediate memory in Hispanic women ( B=0.176 , SE= 1 .691 , t = 2.211 , p=0.029 ) and lower language per formance in non-Hispanic white women ( B= - 0.228 , SE= 1.980 , t =- 2.682 , p=0.008 ). Pregnancy complications were associated with poorer attention scores in Hispanic women ( B=0.163 ; SE=0.000 , T= 2.203 , p=0.029 ) . However, the number of pregnancies were not associated with cognitive performance. Conclusions: This study and its results suggest that reproductive health variables, such as bilateral oophorectomy and pregnancy complications, were differentially associated with a decline in cognitive assessment performance among Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic women. However, a history of bilateral oophorectomy may be associated with a decline in cognitive performance in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women.