Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS)

The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) is a research project that investigates whether hormone therapy affects the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in postmenopausal women. It involved thousands of women aged 65 and older, who were randomly assigned to receive either hormone therapy or a placebo. The study found that, especially among women starting therapy later in life, hormone therapy increased the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. WHIMS has helped inform medical guidelines on hormone use, emphasizing caution in prescribing these treatments for memory-related concerns in older women.