MONDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Science is now backing up what women have long claimed: Memory and learning take a hit during menopause.

Research published in the May 26 issue of Neurology finds that women do not learn as well during early and late perimenopause, when periods are irregular but have not disappeared altogether.

But the changes were subtle, manifesting as less improvement rather than actual decline, the authors stated. Most importantly, the deficits, if they can be called that, were temporary: A woman's learning capacity bounces back once postmenopause has begun.

"The good news is that when women are finished with the menopause transition and in steady postmenopause, cognitive performance, memory, learning, all that comes back to premenopause levels," said Dr. Arun S. Karlamangla, an associate professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and the study's senior author.

"This adds to several other studies that suggest that there are parts of the menopause transition where there are effects on memory and cognitive abilities," said Dr. Victor Henderson, a professor of health research and policy and of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, and past president of the North American Menopause Society.

"For women starting the menopause transition or just finishing it, there are no big changes in memory," Henderson said. "There may be some problems in the middle of the transition, but before and after, women are about the same."

Almost two-thirds of women say they have memory problems during this time in their lives, according to the researchers.

Given that estrogen has been shown to have beneficial effects on brain function, researchers have hypothesized that the decline in estrogen level that occurs after menopause or the fluctuations in hormone levels that occur during perimenopause might compromise memory and other brain functions.

The UCLA researchers looked at processing speed, verbal memory and working memory (how quickly information is processed) in 2,362 women who were 45 to 57 years old when first tested. They were followed for more than four years.

Assessments were conducted during four stages of the transition: premenopause (menstrual periods remained regular); early perimenopausal (some irregularity but no long gaps); late perimenopause (missing a period for three to 11 months); postmenopausal (having no period for a year).

"Women started off premenopausal and went into menopause so we measured cognitive performance at different parts of the menopause transition," Karlamangla explained. "Much to our surprise, cognitive functioning did not actually decline in any group."

In fact, it improved in all groups, as is often seen after repeated testing, Karlamangla said.

But women in late perimenopause showed less improvement in processing speed than women in the other three phases.

"Learning was not as good in the late perimenopausal stage as in the early perimenopausal phase," Karlamangla said.

And both early and late perimenopausal women showed fewer gains in verbal memory than their counterparts in either premenopause or postmenopause.

Starting hormone therapy (estrogen or progesterone) before the last period seemed to help cognitive function, whereas starting after the last period was linked to smaller improvements in test scores than achieved by women who did not take hormones, the study found.

The researchers are still studying whether menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes play any role in memory and learning fluctuations during this transition.

"For older women, meaning after 60 or 65 years, it's pretty clear from several studies that starting hormone therapy isn't going to help memory and isn't going to help prevent dementia or Alzheimer's," Henderson said. "In fact, it seems to increase the risk of dementia when started after this age."

And the message regarding appropriate use of hormone therapy remains the same: Take it only for bothersome symptoms of menopause, for the shortest time possible and at the lowest dose possible.

"There is some suggestion that early use of hormone therapy might be helpful, but it's just a hint," he continued. "This, like most research, is incremental and doesn't change clinical practice."

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more on menopause.

SUNDAY, May 24 (HealthDay News) -- It's natural that a woman might be skeptical about exercising while she's pregnant. So many changes are occurring in her body, it makes sense to have second thoughts about whether exercise might harm her or her unborn child.

But it turns out that a thoughtful exercise program is good for both mother and child, according to medical experts.

"We know that women who exercise during pregnancy have less chance of developing certain conditions like gestational diabetes," said Dr. Raul Artal, chairman of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health for the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "Not only that, exercise maintains musculoskeletal fitness. Women can cope with the anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy better when they're in good shape. They also tolerate labor better and recover more quickly from delivery."

The baby also benefits. One study found that when an expectant mother works out, her fetus reaps cardiac benefits in the form of lower fetal heart rates.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day most days of the week. First, though, all women should consult a doctor to make sure it's OK.

When choosing what sort of exercise to pursue, a woman should take into account the shape she was in before becoming pregnant, said Dr. Thomas Wang, a family practitioner for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego.

"A lot of things depend on the level of fitness they had before," Wang said. A mom-to-be should pursue activities that will provide a good level of exertion without testing the limits of her body's current conditioning. If she's just starting a fitness program to improve her health during pregnancy, she should start out slowly and be careful not to overexert herself.

But there are certain activities that should at least be undertaken with caution, if not avoided altogether. Pregnant women, for instance, should not go scuba diving, as that activity exposes the fetus to a risk of developing decompression sickness, also known as the bends.

Women also should think twice before engaging in activities where the risk of falling is higher, such as gymnastics, horseback riding, downhill skiing and high-intensity racquet sports. And they should avoid contact sports such as ice hockey, soccer and basketball.

"Anything that involves impact or the chance of abdominal trauma, they should try to avoid," Wang explained.

Exercise that's perfectly safe for expectant mothers includes Kegel exercises, swimming, walking, light dancing and yoga. Riding a stationary bicycle or working out on aerobic gym equipment -- elliptical or stair-climbing machines, for instance -- is also fairly safe, as long as care is taken to prevent a fall.

Most pregnant women also can take part in jogging, running and aerobics, especially if those were exercises they regularly performed before pregnancy.

Pregnant women who are doing weight training should emphasize improving their muscle tone, particularly in the upper body and abdominal area, according to the American Pregnancy Association. They should avoid lifting weights above their heads and performing exercises that strain the lower back muscles.

"There have been some studies that show heavy lifting causes a temporary drop in the baby's heart rate," Wang said. "It usually corrects pretty quickly, but they might want to be careful."

Other things to keep in mind if exercising while pregnant:

• Avoid exercising to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness, as that could affect the oxygen supply to the fetus.
• Avoid overheating, which can affect the baby's development. Don't exercise in hot weather.
• During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves lying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to the womb.

Though that might seem like a lot of cautions for something that's supposed to be safe, doctors insist that women can and should engage in a well-thought-out fitness program during their pregnancy.

"By and large, if there are no medical complications of pregnancy, women can continue engaging in the same type of activities," Artal said. "Women should be encouraged to continue living an active lifestyle."

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more on pregnancy and exercise  .

THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- When dealing with financial worries, some women may actually overspend to try to cheer themselves up, a British survey shows.

The poll of 700 women found that 79 percent said they'd go on a shopping spree to give themselves an emotional boost. About 40 percent listed "depression" and 60 percent listed "feeling a bit low" as reasons to go shopping and overspend. Many of the women said shopping has the power to make them feel better.

"This type of spending, or compensatory consumption, serves as a way of regulating intense emotions," survey author Professor Karen Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said in a university news release.

Pine explained that the ability to regulate emotions is crucial for mental and physical well-being, and people find a number of ways to do this, including drugs and alcohol. Shopping is a method widely used by women.

"If shopping is an emotional habit for women, they may feel the need to keep spending despite the economic downturn. Or, perhaps worse still, if they can't spend, we might see an increase in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression," Pine said.

But the survey found that shopping isn't an emotional balm for all women. About 25 percent of survey respondents said they suffered feelings of regret, guilt or shame after buying something in the week prior to the survey, and 70 percent had worried about money during that time.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers tips on how to cope with stress  .

TUESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Walnuts contain compounds that may help prevent breast cancer, suggest findings from a study involving mice specially created to develop tumors.

One group of mice was fed a daily diet that included what would be equivalent to 2 ounces of walnuts in humans, while another group of mice ate a regular diet. The mice that ate the diet with walnuts had a much lower incidence of breast tumors, fewer glands with a tumor and smaller-sized tumors.

"These laboratory mice typically have 100 percent tumor incidence at five months; walnut consumption delayed those tumors by at least three weeks," study author Elaine Hardman, an associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Molecular analysis revealed that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols found in walnuts contributed to tumor resistance in the mice. The findings were to be presented Tuesday at the AACR's annual meeting in Denver.

"With dietary interventions, you see multiple mechanisms when working with the whole food," Hardman said. "It is clear that walnuts contribute to a healthy diet that can reduce breast cancer."

Though the study was done with mice, she suggested that it's still a good idea for people to eat more walnuts.

"Walnuts are better than cookies, french fries or potato chips when you need a snack," Hardman said. "We know that a healthy diet overall prevents all manner of chronic diseases."

The study was funded with matching grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about preventing breast cancer.