The start of the menopausal transition involves the introduction of various somatic, urogenital, and psychological symptoms; of the symptoms, irritability is one of the main complaints reported by women. The use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has become more prevalent in society, specifically treating the somatic and urogenital symptoms of the menopausal transition. This study aims to determine the effects of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) on irritability in menopausal women. To test the hypotheses, an online survey was distributed to women via social media and word-of-mouth. Participants were asked to respond to various questions, which were then analyzed based on BHRT use. An independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. The results exemplified no significant relationship between BHRT and irritability; using BHRT does not significantly reduce irritability scores.

INTRODUÇÃO: A rigidez arterial é fator de risco cardiovascular pouco estudado e importante determinante de sobrecarga cardiovascular, estando associada ao envelhecimento. Analisou-se a ação das terapêuticas com estrogênios eqüinos conjugados (EEC) ou raloxifeno sobre os índices de rigidez, com o intuito de se observar a influência destas medicações na rigidez arterial, bem como se as mesmas são capazes de influenciar o envelhecimento vascular bem sucedido. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se estudo duplo cego, randomizado, placebo-controlado, que envolveu sessenta e sete mulheres saudáveis, normotensas e com 1 a 10 anos de menopausa, divididas em três grupos de 24, 25 e 18 mulheres. Estas receberam placebo, 0,625 mg EEC ou 60 mg de raloxifeno, respectivamente, 1 comprimido por dia, por 4 meses consecutivos. Analisou-se a rigidez arterial, através da avaliação das velocidades de onda de pulso carótida-femoral (VOP CF), fêmoro-pediosa (VOP FP), e do índice de amplificação (IA) da pressão sistólica na artéria carótida. RESULTADOS: Não se observou qualquer alteração dos índices de rigidez arterial associada às intervenções farmacológicas no grupo placebo (VOP CF pré x pós: 644 x 626 cm/s, p= 0,09; VOP FP pré x pós: 1006 x 1012 cm/s, p= 0,77; IA pré x pós = 30 x 29%, p= 0,55), no grupo EEC (VOP CF pré x pós: 642 x 600 cm/s, p= 0,11; VOP FP pré x pós: 952 x 971 cm/s, p= 0,66; IA pré x pós: 25 x 32%, p= 0,82) e no grupo raloxifeno (VOP CF pré x pós: 636 x 601 cm/s, p= 0,12; VOP FP pré x pós: 964 x 941 cm/s, p= 0,62; IA pré x pós:25 x 25%, p= 0,65). Apesar da ausência de ação das drogas sobre a rigidez arterial, houve uma correlação significativa entre o grau de rigidez arterial basal e a resposta à intervenção farmacológica, particularmente no grupo EEC, de tal maneira que a redução dos índices de rigidez neste grupo foi proporcional ao nível de rigidez basal, apresentando as seguintes relações: VOP CF (r= -0,602, p= 0,001); VOP FP (r= -0,455, p= 0,022); IA (r= -0,410, p= 0,042). CONCLUSÃO: EEC e raloxifeno não parecem afetar a rigidez arterial de mulheres sadias e normotensas com menos de 10 anos de menopausa / INTRODUCTION: Arterial stiffness has been recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor, an important determinant of the left ventricular overload and a marker of cardiovascular aging. However, the clinical impact of arterial stiffness and how it is affected by hormone therapy has not been fully investigated. This study analyzed the influence of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) or raloxifene on arterial stiffness and how the may influence successful cardiovascular aging. METHODS: Sixty-seven healthy and normotensive women with 1 to 10 years of menopause were randomly assigned to one of three groups, with 24, 25, and 18 participants. They were given oral placebo, 0,625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen, or 60 mg of raloxifene, respectively, for 4 consecutive months. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by measurement of the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV CF) and femoral-dorsalis pedis pulse wave velocity (PWV FP), and the systolic pressure augmentation index (AI) at the carotid artery obtained by applanation tonometry. RESULTS: None of the treatment regimens affected arterial stiffness: placebo (PWV CF before x after: 644 x 626 cm/s, p= 0.09; PWV FP before x after : 1006 x 1012 cm/s, p= 0.77; AI before x after = 30 x 29%, p= 0.55), CEE (PWV CF before x after: 642 x 600 cm/s, p= 0.11; PWV FP before x after: 952 x 971 cm/s, p= 0.66; AI before x after: 25 x 32%, p= 0.82) and raloxifene (PWV CF before x after: 636 x 601 cm/s, p= 0.12; PWV FP before x after: 964 x 941 cm/s, p= 0.62; AI before x afer:25 x 25%, p= 0.65). Despite the absence of statistically significant reduction in arterial stiffness with treatment, there was a significant correlation between basal stiffness and the degree of reduction in the indexes measured, indicating that the higher the basal stiffness, the greater the degree of reduction, particularly in the CEE group: PWV CF (r= -0.602, p= 0.001); PWV FP (r= -0.455, p= 0.022); AI (r= -0.410, p= 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Conjugated equine estrogen and raloxifene do not seem to affect arterial stiffness of healthy normotensive women with less than 10 years of menopause

INTRODUÇÃO: A rigidez arterial é fator de risco cardiovascular pouco estudado e importante determinante de sobrecarga cardiovascular, estando associada ao envelhecimento. Analisou-se a ação das terapêuticas com estrogênios eqüinos conjugados (EEC) ou raloxifeno sobre os índices de rigidez, com o intuito de se observar a influência destas medicações na rigidez arterial, bem como se as mesmas são capazes de influenciar o envelhecimento vascular bem sucedido. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se estudo duplo cego, randomizado, placebo-controlado, que envolveu sessenta e sete mulheres saudáveis, normotensas e com 1 a 10 anos de menopausa, divididas em três grupos de 24, 25 e 18 mulheres. Estas receberam placebo, 0,625 mg EEC ou 60 mg de raloxifeno, respectivamente, 1 comprimido por dia, por 4 meses consecutivos. Analisou-se a rigidez arterial, através da avaliação das velocidades de onda de pulso carótida-femoral (VOP CF), fêmoro-pediosa (VOP FP), e do índice de amplificação (IA) da pressão sistólica na artéria carótida. RESULTADOS: Não se observou qualquer alteração dos índices de rigidez arterial associada às intervenções farmacológicas no grupo placebo (VOP CF pré x pós: 644 x 626 cm/s, p= 0,09; VOP FP pré x pós: 1006 x 1012 cm/s, p= 0,77; IA pré x pós = 30 x 29%, p= 0,55), no grupo EEC (VOP CF pré x pós: 642 x 600 cm/s, p= 0,11; VOP FP pré x pós: 952 x 971 cm/s, p= 0,66; IA pré x pós: 25 x 32%, p= 0,82) e no grupo raloxifeno (VOP CF pré x pós: 636 x 601 cm/s, p= 0,12; VOP FP pré x pós: 964 x 941 cm/s, p= 0,62; IA pré x pós:25 x 25%, p= 0,65). Apesar da ausência de ação das drogas sobre a rigidez arterial, houve uma correlação significativa entre o grau de rigidez arterial basal e a resposta à intervenção farmacológica, particularmente no grupo EEC, de tal maneira que a redução dos índices de rigidez neste grupo foi proporcional ao nível de rigidez basal, apresentando as seguintes relações: VOP CF (r= -0,602, p= 0,001); VOP FP (r= -0,455, p= 0,022); IA (r= -0,410, p= 0,042). CONCLUSÃO: EEC e raloxifeno não parecem afetar a rigidez arterial de mulheres sadias e normotensas com menos de 10 anos de menopausa / INTRODUCTION: Arterial stiffness has been recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor, an important determinant of the left ventricular overload and a marker of cardiovascular aging. However, the clinical impact of arterial stiffness and how it is affected by hormone therapy has not been fully investigated. This study analyzed the influence of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) or raloxifene on arterial stiffness and how the may influence successful cardiovascular aging. METHODS: Sixty-seven healthy and normotensive women with 1 to 10 years of menopause were randomly assigned to one of three groups, with 24, 25, and 18 participants. They were given oral placebo, 0,625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen, or 60 mg of raloxifene, respectively, for 4 consecutive months. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by measurement of the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV CF) and femoral-dorsalis pedis pulse wave velocity (PWV FP), and the systolic pressure augmentation index (AI) at the carotid artery obtained by applanation tonometry. RESULTS: None of the treatment regimens affected arterial stiffness: placebo (PWV CF before x after: 644 x 626 cm/s, p= 0.09; PWV FP before x after : 1006 x 1012 cm/s, p= 0.77; AI before x after = 30 x 29%, p= 0.55), CEE (PWV CF before x after: 642 x 600 cm/s, p= 0.11; PWV FP before x after: 952 x 971 cm/s, p= 0.66; AI before x after: 25 x 32%, p= 0.82) and raloxifene (PWV CF before x after: 636 x 601 cm/s, p= 0.12; PWV FP before x after: 964 x 941 cm/s, p= 0.62; AI before x afer:25 x 25%, p= 0.65). Despite the absence of statistically significant reduction in arterial stiffness with treatment, there was a significant correlation between basal stiffness and the degree of reduction in the indexes measured, indicating that the higher the basal stiffness, the greater the degree of reduction, particularly in the CEE group: PWV CF (r= -0.602, p= 0.001); PWV FP (r= -0.455, p= 0.022); AI (r= -0.410, p= 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Conjugated equine estrogen and raloxifene do not seem to affect arterial stiffness of healthy normotensive women with less than 10 years of menopause

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T18:16:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Afef Tlili.pdf: 665576 bytes, checksum: 18bfa1ef70f784749b0ff17501d112a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / INTRODUCTION: In climateric, there are sweeping changes that can be felt also in the oral cavity by hyposalivation or xerostomia, which can be minimized with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The dietary profile in premenopausal women helps prevent the most prevalent diseases in this age group. Therefore, the analysis of food consumption in premenopausal women helps deepen new approaches to dietary intervention for the prevention and control, enabling them a better quality of life. OBJECTIVES: We aim to investigate the dietary profile and the relationship between low flow rate of saliva and xerostomia in menopausal women users and nonusers of HRT. METHODS: Cross and prospective research by the application of questionnaires and salivary flow analysis in menopausal women who attended the University Hospital of UFMA in 2009 and 2010. They were divided into two groups A and B. Group A was composed of women using HRT and Group B for non-users. RESULTS: Group A had a higher volume of salivary flow compared with Group B (p = 0.021). Xerostomia was found to be a symptom independent of salivary flow rate, and was present mostly in Group B. The highest mean BMI was found in Group B. The consumption of sugars and fats dominated in obese type II, in thin vegetables, of fruits in overweight, and of milk and dairy products in normal weight. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the assessment of dietary consumption, this study showed that menopausal women eat incorrectly in quantitative and qualitative terms, with a trend toward greater consumption of fats. We also conclude that HRT is beneficial regarding symptoms of dry mouth and increase of salivary flow. / INTRODUÇÃO: No climatério, há intensas transformações que podem ser sentidas também na cavidade oral, pela hipossalivação ou xerostomia, o que pode ser minimizado com a Terapia de Reposição Hormonal (TRH). O adequado perfil alimentar em mulheres climatéricas ajuda a prevenir as doenças mais prevalentes nessa faixa etária. Portanto, a análise do consumo alimentar de mulheres climatéricas ajuda a aprofundar novas abordagens na intervenção alimentar para a prevenção e controle, possibilitando-lhes uma melhor qualidade de vida. OBJETIVOS: Investigar o perfil alimentar e a relação existente entre hipofluxo salivar e xerostomia em mulheres climatéricas usuárias e não usuárias de TRH. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal e prospectivo pela aplicação de questionários e análise do fluxo salivar em mulheres climatéricas que compareceram ao Hospital Universitário da UFMA em 2009 e 2010. Elas foram divididas em dois grupos A e B. O Grupo A foi composto por mulheres usuárias de TRH (estradiol 1mg/dia durante 12 meses seguidos) e o Grupo B por não usuárias. RESULTADOS: O Grupo A apresentou maior volume de fluxo salivar em comparação com o Grupo B (p=0,021). A xerostomia mostrou-se um sintoma independente da taxa de fluxo salivar, e esteve presente, em sua maioria, no Grupo B. O maior IMC médio foi encontrado no Grupo B. O consumo de açúcares e gorduras predominou nas obesas grau II, de hortaliças nas magras, de frutas nas com sobrepeso e de leites e derivados nas eutróficas. CONCLUSÕES: A partir da avaliação do consumo alimentar, este estudo demonstrou que as mulheres climatéricas alimentam-se de forma incorreta do ponto de vista quantitativo e qualitativo, havendo uma tendência ao maior consumo de gorduras. Conclui-se também que a TRH traz benefícios em relação aos sintomas de secura bucal e aumento do fluxo salivar.

<p>Sweden has one of the highest incidences of osteoporotic fractures in the world. A more sedentary lifestyle is one of several proposed reasons for the increase in osteoporosis seen in the developed countries. The aim of this thesis was primarily to study the influence of muscle strength, and body composition, on bone mineral density, BMD, in young adults. The second aim was to evaluate the possible influence of estrogen on muscle strength in women.</p><p>A population-based study of 113 subjects (53 men and 60 women) aged 22-85 showed associations for premenopausal, but not postmenopausal women, between isometric quadriceps muscle strength and BMD in the total body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck. In men there was only an association between muscle strength and BMD in the total body. Another population-based study of 125 randomly selected young adults (64 women and 61 men) showed that total body BMD, TBMD, is influenced by isokinetic knee flexion and extension strength in women but not in men where body composition influenced TBMD. In 159 randomly selected young adult women (20-39 years) knee flexion and extension strength influenced not only TBMD but also total hip BMD, and heel BMD. However, lean body mass and body weight were better predictors for BMD at these skeletal sites. An extension of this study involving 335 women again demonstrated that lean body mass is the best predictor of BMD. This study also showed that Uppsala women aged 20-39 years have a BMD that is approximately 0.1-1.2 SD (2-12 %) above international/national references. In addition marked variations in BMD T-scores between various skeletal sites were noted. </p><p><i>In Conclusion: </i>The association between muscle strength and BMD is evident in women in their early twenties but with age lean body mass and body weight becomes better predictors for BMD. In men lean body mass and body composition but not muscle strength predicted BMD. Hormone replacement therapy does not influence muscle strength and there is no association between allelic variations in the estrogen receptor alpha and muscle strength in women.</p>

Sweden has one of the highest incidences of osteoporotic fractures in the world. A more sedentary lifestyle is one of several proposed reasons for the increase in osteoporosis seen in the developed countries. The aim of this thesis was primarily to study the influence of muscle strength, and body composition, on bone mineral density, BMD, in young adults. The second aim was to evaluate the possible influence of estrogen on muscle strength in women. A population-based study of 113 subjects (53 men and 60 women) aged 22-85 showed associations for premenopausal, but not postmenopausal women, between isometric quadriceps muscle strength and BMD in the total body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck. In men there was only an association between muscle strength and BMD in the total body. Another population-based study of 125 randomly selected young adults (64 women and 61 men) showed that total body BMD, TBMD, is influenced by isokinetic knee flexion and extension strength in women but not in men where body composition influenced TBMD. In 159 randomly selected young adult women (20-39 years) knee flexion and extension strength influenced not only TBMD but also total hip BMD, and heel BMD. However, lean body mass and body weight were better predictors for BMD at these skeletal sites. An extension of this study involving 335 women again demonstrated that lean body mass is the best predictor of BMD. This study also showed that Uppsala women aged 20-39 years have a BMD that is approximately 0.1-1.2 SD (2-12 %) above international/national references. In addition marked variations in BMD T-scores between various skeletal sites were noted. In Conclusion: The association between muscle strength and BMD is evident in women in their early twenties but with age lean body mass and body weight becomes better predictors for BMD. In men lean body mass and body composition but not muscle strength predicted BMD. Hormone replacement therapy does not influence muscle strength and there is no association between allelic variations in the estrogen receptor alpha and muscle strength in women.

This study addresses the complex issues of etiology and conceptualization of gender variance in the modern West. By analyzing medical, psychological, and popular approaches to gender variance, I demonstrate the highly political nature of each of these paradigms and how gender variant individuals engage with these discourses in the elaboration of their own gender identities. I focus on the role of institutional authority in shaping popular ideas about gender variance and the relationship of gender variant individuals who seek medical intervention towards the systems that regulate their care. Also relevant are the tensions between those who view gender variance as an expression of an essential cross-sex gender (as in traditional transsexual narrative) and those who believe that gender is socially constructed and non-binary. I finally argue that the standards of treatment for gender variant individuals pertains more to the medical legitimization of their identities than with necessarily improving outcomes.

Abstract This study examined memory functioning from a female perspective, with the aim of determining factors that might impact performance and render the accuracy of memory measurement, particularly with advancing age, problematic. Factors investigated, among others, were the role of attention and/or engagement with the memory tasks administered, state affect (i.e., positive and negative arousal) at time of testing, subjective memory appraisal, particularly in the domain of perceived memory self-efficacy (MSE), and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by older post-menopausal women. Two experimental computer-based tests of episodic memory, Paired Associates (PA) and Serial Recall (SR), were administered to 181 female participants aged 18 to 86 years. The tasks were designed to emphasise components that make episodic memory especially difficult, and minimise the use of strategies that might assist recall. Thus, they varied the requirement for recall as opposed to recognition, the need to form an association between a pair of unrelated words, and the need to discriminate the most recent list from earlier list(s). Other measures used included a demographic survey administered to participants individually in an interview format, and a number of variables examined in this study derived from responses to items contained in this survey. The research battery also included psychometric measures of transient affective states, psychological well-being, alertness, in addition to measures of global cognitive status and metamemory (i.e., subjective memory appraisal). The overall aim was to examine a range of factors that might influence episodic memory performance in cognitively intact healthy women, and thus render the interpretation of age-related changes to memory functioning problematic. For analyses participants were assigned to three groups - young, middle-aged and older. There were 60 young adults aged 18 to 29 years, 60 middle-aged adults aged 49 to 60 years, and 61 older adults aged 61 to 86 years. Each participant was tested individually in a single session lasting approximately 3 ½ hours, with younger participants requiring less time to complete assessments. Order of test administration and instructions were standardised across the entire sample. Inferential statistics included correlation, t-test statistic, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post-hoc comparisons. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine key correlates of memory performance outcomes. No significant differences between the cohorts were found in mean years of education. However, episodic memory recall differed significantly by age group. As expected, young adults recalled significantly more words in the memory tasks than their older counterparts, and middle-aged adults outperformed adults in the oldest cohort. Moreover, older adults’ performance deficits were more pronounced in the tasks requiring that they make an association between a pair of unrelated words. Across all cases, transient mood states were significantly related to memory scores; however, individuals in the oldest cohort were particularly vulnerable to mood fluctuations. This cohort experienced a significantly greater decline in positive affect and a significant greater increase in negative affect while undergoing memory testing, highlighting their greater vulnerability to stressors inherent in a memory testing situation. Although scores on the measure of attention were near ceiling, indicative of participants’ level of effort, motivation, and engagement with the memory tasks, the measure of attention discriminated between older and younger adults’ results, and was a key predictor of memory performance. Noteworthy is that attention scores significantly contributed to performance variability in younger and older adults but not in middle-aged adults. Across all cases, age, education, and attention were the key contributing factors to variability in memory scores. Although four lifestyle factors: (1) subjective sleep appraisal, (2) body mass index (BMI), (3) physical activity, and (4) caffeine intake were significantly associated with performance in the memory tasks, once the effects of these key variables were removed, lifestyle factor did not uniquely contribute to performance variability. Moreover, no association was found between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and episodic memory performance across the broader sample. However, in a small subgroup of older women (n = 15, M age = 66 years), long-term users of this treatment, HRT had a significant effect on memory performance and was indicative of better recall on the memory tasks. The effect of subjective memory appraisal, MSE included, on objective performance outcomes was examined. The results showed that memory self-evaluations were not a significant contributing factor to episodic memory performance, confirming that memory self-appraisal is a poor predictor of actual memory performance, and thus does not pose a challenge to the measurement of age-related changes to memory abilities. Although there were commonalities, factors influencing memory performance differed by age cohort. For example, in young adults, positive mood, a perception of sleeping well, subjective health, and attention were significantly related to performance on the memory tasks. However, once the effect of attention was removed in the regression analysis, no other variable was predictive of episodic memory functioning in this cohort. In contrast, the single significant predictor of memory performance in middle-aged individuals was education, and neither attention, nor positive mood, or physical activity had a significant effect on this cohort’s performance. Similarly, having more years of formal education benefited older adults’ episodic memory functioning. However, high scores on global cognitive functioning and on the tasks measuring attention were equally important to episodic memory recall in this age group. In sum, the significant contribution of age to memory variability attested to the utility of the memory measures in detecting age-related changes to episodic memory functioning, which were independent of deficits in attention or level of education. Moreover, the effect of several factors (e.g., transient mood, lifestyle) on memory scores was explained by an effect on attention, and this has clear implication for the proper evaluation of long-term changes to memory functioning. Limitations of the study and suggestion for future research are discussed.

Abstract This study examined memory functioning from a female perspective, with the aim of determining factors that might impact performance and render the accuracy of memory measurement, particularly with advancing age, problematic. Factors investigated, among others, were the role of attention and/or engagement with the memory tasks administered, state affect (i.e., positive and negative arousal) at time of testing, subjective memory appraisal, particularly in the domain of perceived memory self-efficacy (MSE), and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by older post-menopausal women. Two experimental computer-based tests of episodic memory, Paired Associates (PA) and Serial Recall (SR), were administered to 181 female participants aged 18 to 86 years. The tasks were designed to emphasise components that make episodic memory especially difficult, and minimise the use of strategies that might assist recall. Thus, they varied the requirement for recall as opposed to recognition, the need to form an association between a pair of unrelated words, and the need to discriminate the most recent list from earlier list(s). Other measures used included a demographic survey administered to participants individually in an interview format, and a number of variables examined in this study derived from responses to items contained in this survey. The research battery also included psychometric measures of transient affective states, psychological well-being, alertness, in addition to measures of global cognitive status and metamemory (i.e., subjective memory appraisal). The overall aim was to examine a range of factors that might influence episodic memory performance in cognitively intact healthy women, and thus render the interpretation of age-related changes to memory functioning problematic. For analyses participants were assigned to three groups - young, middle-aged and older. There were 60 young adults aged 18 to 29 years, 60 middle-aged adults aged 49 to 60 years, and 61 older adults aged 61 to 86 years. Each participant was tested individually in a single session lasting approximately 3 ½ hours, with younger participants requiring less time to complete assessments. Order of test administration and instructions were standardised across the entire sample. Inferential statistics included correlation, t-test statistic, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post-hoc comparisons. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine key correlates of memory performance outcomes. No significant differences between the cohorts were found in mean years of education. However, episodic memory recall differed significantly by age group. As expected, young adults recalled significantly more words in the memory tasks than their older counterparts, and middle-aged adults outperformed adults in the oldest cohort. Moreover, older adults’ performance deficits were more pronounced in the tasks requiring that they make an association between a pair of unrelated words. Across all cases, transient mood states were significantly related to memory scores; however, individuals in the oldest cohort were particularly vulnerable to mood fluctuations. This cohort experienced a significantly greater decline in positive affect and a significant greater increase in negative affect while undergoing memory testing, highlighting their greater vulnerability to stressors inherent in a memory testing situation. Although scores on the measure of attention were near ceiling, indicative of participants’ level of effort, motivation, and engagement with the memory tasks, the measure of attention discriminated between older and younger adults’ results, and was a key predictor of memory performance. Noteworthy is that attention scores significantly contributed to performance variability in younger and older adults but not in middle-aged adults. Across all cases, age, education, and attention were the key contributing factors to variability in memory scores. Although four lifestyle factors: (1) subjective sleep appraisal, (2) body mass index (BMI), (3) physical activity, and (4) caffeine intake were significantly associated with performance in the memory tasks, once the effects of these key variables were removed, lifestyle factor did not uniquely contribute to performance variability. Moreover, no association was found between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and episodic memory performance across the broader sample. However, in a small subgroup of older women (n = 15, M age = 66 years), long-term users of this treatment, HRT had a significant effect on memory performance and was indicative of better recall on the memory tasks. The effect of subjective memory appraisal, MSE included, on objective performance outcomes was examined. The results showed that memory self-evaluations were not a significant contributing factor to episodic memory performance, confirming that memory self-appraisal is a poor predictor of actual memory performance, and thus does not pose a challenge to the measurement of age-related changes to memory abilities. Although there were commonalities, factors influencing memory performance differed by age cohort. For example, in young adults, positive mood, a perception of sleeping well, subjective health, and attention were significantly related to performance on the memory tasks. However, once the effect of attention was removed in the regression analysis, no other variable was predictive of episodic memory functioning in this cohort. In contrast, the single significant predictor of memory performance in middle-aged individuals was education, and neither attention, nor positive mood, or physical activity had a significant effect on this cohort’s performance. Similarly, having more years of formal education benefited older adults’ episodic memory functioning. However, high scores on global cognitive functioning and on the tasks measuring attention were equally important to episodic memory recall in this age group. In sum, the significant contribution of age to memory variability attested to the utility of the memory measures in detecting age-related changes to episodic memory functioning, which were independent of deficits in attention or level of education. Moreover, the effect of several factors (e.g., transient mood, lifestyle) on memory scores was explained by an effect on attention, and this has clear implication for the proper evaluation of long-term changes to memory functioning. Limitations of the study and suggestion for future research are discussed.