Dear Doctors: I have shared my home with pets my whole life. I am now a 76-year-old widow, and my menagerie is down to two small dogs. I just saw on the news that pets keep you mentally sharp. Is that true? I’d like to be able to reassure my sons that my furry companions are a boon and not a burden.

Dear Reader: We’re happy to report that a wealth of research continues to find that living with a companion animal is associated with a wide range of benefits. These include enhancing the pet owner’s physical, emotional and mental health, and generally improving their quality of life.

We suspect that the news report you saw was tied to a recent study that focused on pet ownership among older adults. The results, which were published last summer in the Journal of Aging and Health, suggest that growing older while living with a companion animal can play a role in preserving cognitive function. In their study, the researchers used data gathered by the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing investigative project that involves about 20,000 adults in the United States, all of them 50 years of age or older. The researchers regularly conduct in-depth interviews with the participants and use tests and other diagnostic tools to amass data about aging. This includes details about physical health, social life, family life, employment, mental health and changes to cognition.

In the pet study you’re asking about, the researchers focused on 1,369 adults who did not have any existing cognitive problems. The participants were divided into three categories -- those without a pet, those whose pet had been with them fewer than five years and those living with a pet for five years or more. When the researchers analyzed the cognitive data collected over the course of six years, a surprising connection to pet ownership emerged. Those individuals who lived with a pet performed better on tests that measured both long- and short-term memory than did people of the same age but who did not live with a pet. This beneficial effect of living with a companion animal was even more pronounced in people whose pets had been with them five or more years. Interestingly, this protective effect was seen only in study participants who were 65 years of age or older. That’s the age at which it becomes more likely for the symptoms of either cognitive decline or dementia to begin to manifest.

As for why living with a companion animal appears to benefit cognition, the researchers suspect several factors may be at play. Health data showed that the pet owners in the study tended to have lower body fat percentages, better blood pressure and a lower incidence of diabetes than those without pets. This pointed to greater levels of physical activity, which has long been linked to improved cognitive health. The group with pets also reported lower levels of stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness, each of which have been shown to adversely affect mental function. We hope this helps you explain to your sons that your dogs are not only a bright spot in your life, but quite possibly just what the doctor ordered.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctors: My sister was diagnosed with cancer, and her doctors say she should consider freezing her eggs. It’s not definite that the treatment will affect her ability to get pregnant, but it’s a real possibility. I don’t know how freezing one’s eggs works. Can you explain? Is it expensive?

Dear Reader: Unfortunately, it’s true that certain medical treatments can, in addition to saving the person’s life, adversely affect their future fertility. This can occur in both women and men. For men, an option to preserve fertility is to freeze their sperm.

Women who wish to safeguard their future ability to have children can opt to freeze their eggs. The technical term for this is oocyte cryopreservation. The process was developed in the 1980s, with the first birth from a frozen oocyte taking place in Australia in 1986. In the decades since, the techniques have been refined. Today, oocyte cryopreservation has moved from an experimental procedure to an accepted treatment. It is so widely used that some large employers cover the procedure in their employee health insurance plans.

If your sister chooses to move forward with freezing her eggs, she will begin by seeking out the professionals who will help her. That means an experienced fertility specialist and a reputable reproductive clinic, preferably with an on-site lab. The medical team overseeing her cancer care may be able to offer recommendations.

The actual process begins with one or more prep appointments. These typically include an office meeting to explain the procedure, answer questions and fill out paperwork related to the process. Patients also undergo a blood draw to determine certain hormone levels and have a transvaginal ultrasound to allow the doctor to visualize the ovaries. In order for the ovaries to release multiple eggs, patients are prescribed synthetic hormones with which to inject themselves. This is known as ovarian stimulation, and it takes place on a precise schedule.

Over the next few weeks, patients return to the clinic for further blood tests and ultrasounds. These are used to track the body’s response to the injections. When the eggs are ready to be retrieved, the patient receives an injection of a medication that helps the eggs mature. Retrieval takes place at the clinic, with the patient under sedation. Guided by ultrasound imaging, the doctor uses a needle to pierce the sac that contains the egg. A suction device helps to gently remove it. The harvested eggs are then cooled to a subzero temperature and placed in a specialized storage facility, where they are preserved until needed.

The process of oocyte cryopreservation can help preserve fertility, but your sister will be advised that it isn’t foolproof. It can also be costly. When not covered by insurance, egg freezing can range from about $10,000 to more than $20,000 per cycle. Multiple cycles can be needed in order to collect enough eggs. Additional costs include an annual fee to store the eggs and the fee for in vitro fertilization when it comes time to use them.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctors: I had just started a new job when the pandemic happened. On top of the lockdowns and home-schooling our kids, I was diagnosed with IBS. My husband read there’s research that it’s caused by stress, and that makes a lot of sense to me. Can you please talk about that research?

Dear Reader: IBS is short for irritable bowel syndrome. It affects the stomach and the intestines, which are part of the gastrointestinal tract. The word “syndrome” means that IBS isn’t a disease, but rather a collection of certain types of symptoms. These can include abdominal gas, chronic bloating, constipation, diarrhea and ongoing changes to the frequency and urgency of bowel movements. Someone with IBS also often has increased sensitivity to abdominal pain. Taken together, these symptoms indicate that something has gone awry in the inner workings of the bowels.

IBS is seen in women more often than in men, and it typically arises in younger populations, generally under the age of 50. It’s fairly common, occurring in up to 15% of the population. Because the symptoms are not life-threatening, many people don’t take the time to get diagnosed. That means the percentage of people living with IBS is likely higher than the rate doctor visits may indicate.

The symptoms of the syndrome can range from mild enough to just be annoying to severe enough to interfere with daily life. Previous research into the causes of IBS has focused on unresolved abdominal infections and changes to the makeup and behaviors of gut microbiome. Now, as your husband has read, newer research has found evidence that stress and anxiety may play a role.

The study he is referring to, conducted by researchers in Tokyo, was published last fall. They found that mice who were repeatedly placed in psychologically stressful situations went on to develop gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with IBS. Although previous research has looked into stress as a trigger for IBS, those studies used physical situations to trigger that stress. In this new study, the mice were placed into situations that didn’t stress them physically, but instead caused them to feel social anxiety.

During the 10-day study, the researchers found that mice who spent 10 minutes each day in a socially stressful situation developed abnormally high levels of cortisone, the hormone associated with stress. The stressed mice also had changes to their bowel movements that are consistent with IBS, as well as increased sensitivity to abdominal pain. These changes persisted for weeks after the study concluded. The control group of mice, who did not undergo any social stressors during the study, did not have any of these physical changes.

Although this research doesn’t explain the gut-brain connection in IBS, it does suggest new ways to look into the causes of the syndrome. It also underlines the importance of lifestyle changes for people with the condition. As someone living with IBS, you should avoid using tobacco and take steps to get quality sleep. If possible, add a stress reliever like yoga, meditation, tai chi or just a daily walk outside to your daily routine.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)