A Woman and Her Risks for Dementia
By Lauren Ziesmer
Alzheimer's disease and dementia are two of the worst things that an older adult or their loved ones can experience. My grandmother had dementia, and her children started seeing her symptoms when she was in her late 50s, when she left uncooked food in the oven for hours on end. Now that my mother is getting around the age her mother was, she has been worried about getting dementia and thinks that a lot of things will lead to her getting it. This blog is to help women like my mother, know the key risk factors that can lead to a woman having Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in their older adult years.
Some of the key risk factors are not necessarily under our control, but they are still important to know and keep in mind. One risk factor that is like this is specific for women, which is the changes in our reproductive system. When there is a change in our reproductive system, we have a change in hormones and this change in hormones is what can affect women. Estrogen is the main hormone to focus on according to the research in this area, because it can help protect the brain from some of the changes that come with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Society, 2025). According to Alzheimer’s Society (2025), estrogen is more likely to prevent dementia when women are exposed to it throughout their life, so having events that increase estrogen, like pregnancy, or increase the exposure to estrogen, like having menopause start later, are helpful. These events are something that cannot be controlled, but one study that Alzheimer’s Society (2025) looks at says that hormone replacement therapy may help, so there may be some control for this risk factor.
There are key risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease that apply to both men and women, but women are disproportionately affected by some of the key risk factors. Most of these risk factors are not related to biology like the previous factor, but are related to what women have access to. One research article comparing the differences between the two sexes and the risk factors for dementia found that there is a higher risk of dementia when women live in poorer countries (Gong et al., 2022, p.3373). Within these countries, there are less opportunities for women that would prevent risk factors, like having a higher education, so women in these countries are more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Assuming that women reading this are in the United States or another rich country, take advantage of the things you can.
There are still some things that affect women’s risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in richer countries, though. The main one is the fact that women typically live longer than men, and this can cause an increase in two of the common risk factors. Women are more likely to live past the age of 90 than men, but simply living longer gives a woman a higher risk of developing dementia (Alzheimer’s Research UK, 2022, p.2). Another risk factor is one of the things that comes with living longer: loneliness. Alzheimer’s Research UK (2022) states “Social isolation and depression have been identified as two major risk factors for dementia. Higher levels of social contact are associated with better cognitive functioning in later life” (p.3). So, with this, it is important to be social and have community as you age to keep your brain healthy. For example, when thinking about knitting or craft groups, a group of older ladies is usually imagined, and that benefit of socialization is why those older ladies are typically in those groups.
The majority of key risk factors are known because of studies using men as participants, so I hope this brings more awareness to the key risk factors that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia for women. For more information, you can access the Alzheimer’s Society article here and the Alzheimer’s Research UK report here. Hopefully, understanding some of these risk factors can help you as a woman, or as a man with loved ones who are women, know some of the risk factors that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
References
Alzheimer’s Research UK. (2022, May). The impact of dementia on women. https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Impact-of-Dementia-on-Women-ARUK-report.pdf
Alzheimer’s Society. (2025, March 3). Why is dementia different for women? https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/why-dementia-different-women
Gong, J., Harris, K., Lipnicki D. M., Castro-Costa, E., Fernanda Lima-Costa, M., Diniz, B. S., Xiao, S., Lipton, R. B., Katz, M. J., Wang, C., Preux, P., Guerchet, M., Gbessemehlan, A., Ritchie, K., Ancelin, M., Skoog, I., Najar, J., Rydberg Sterner, T., Scarmeas, N., Yannakoulia, M., …Woodward, M. (2022). Sex differences in dementia risk and risk factors: Individual-participant data analysis using 21 cohorts across six continents from the COSMIC consortium. Alzheimer’s Dementia, 19(8), 3365-3378. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12962