Methodology

How we decide what to say

Health writing goes wrong most often in its verbs. Our evidence hierarchy determines which verbs a claim is allowed to use.

The evidence hierarchy

Tier 1 — Established

Well-conducted randomized controlled trials, high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses of trials, and current guidance from major professional medical societies. Language we use: is effective, reduces, is recommended, is established.

Tier 2 — Consistent observational evidence

Large prospective cohort studies and pooled analyses with consistent findings and plausible mechanisms. Language we use: is associated with, has been linked to, women with X are more likely to. We do not convert this into causal language.

Tier 3 — Limited or conflicting evidence

Small trials, cross-sectional studies, single cohorts with inconsistent replication, or subgroup analyses. Language we use: evidence is mixed, findings are inconsistent, this remains uncertain.

Tier 4 — Mechanistic and preclinical

Animal studies, cell work, imaging and physiological plausibility with no clinical outcome data. Language we use: is biologically plausible, is hypothesized, has not been demonstrated in people.

Sources we rely on

Guidance and position statements from major professional medical societies
Peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Randomized controlled trials
Large prospective cohort studies, including long-running studies of the menopausal transition
Regulatory product labeling where it defines an approved indication

We do not build claims from press releases, conference abstracts without full publication, single small studies, or commercial white papers.

Claims we will not make

That menopause causes dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
That hormone therapy prevents dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
That any supplement improves cognition, absent high-quality evidence and clear qualification
That any diet, program or protocol prevents neurodegenerative disease
That an individual’s symptoms have a single explanation we can determine remotely

Editorial process

Content is written and reviewed by a board-certified neurologist. Each page is structured to state the common presentation, the differential worth considering, the evidence strength behind key statements, and explicit criteria for seeking evaluation. Pages are revised when society guidance changes, when a major trial or systematic review is published, or when a reader identifies an error.

Corrections and conflicts of interest

MenoCortex does not sell supplements, devices, programs or hormone products, and it does not accept payment for editorial coverage. If any commercial relationship is ever established, it will be disclosed on the relevant pages. To report an error or suggest a correction, contact us through the details published in the site policies.

Four evidence tiers, from randomized trials to mechanism.
Verb choice is governed by the tier.
Association is never written as causation.
No supplement, diet or hormone prevention claims.
Society guidance and systematic reviews take precedence.
No paid editorial coverage; no products sold.

Why this matters in menopause care

Midlife women’s health has been shaped by both overstatement and neglect. Claims have run ahead of evidence in one decade and behind it in the next. Stating evidence strength explicitly is the only way to publish usefully in a field that is still moving.

Applied

See the hierarchy in use

Every substantive page carries an evidence panel separating what is established from what is associated or unresolved.