Episode 32: Brain fog, memory loss and menopause

If you can't remember where you put your keys, struggling with brain fog and having trouble getting your words out you might be worried that you are literally losing your mind and this can be a frightening prospect for any woman, particularly when we're undergoing a significant hormonal transition.  Today I want to reassure you that your marbles are relatively safe… at least for now! The research around the effect of changing estrogen levels on our brain is relatively limited, as seems to be the case with so many women's health related conditions, but the GOOD NEWS is there are definitely differentiations between age related cognitive decline and the menopause related brain changes.  To be clear,  dementia or neurocognitive disorder, as it's now termed, has a neuropathology of disease, in the form of plaques and tangles in the brain, which is not what's going on in menopause.  During perimenopause and menopause the brain is adjusting to having less oestrogen. Layer this on top of a lack of sleep, a stressful or unhappy period and let's face it, there's just a lot going on at this time of life!   This can temporarily leave us with a slowing down of memory retrieval, which makes us feel forgetful. So naturally we jump on Dr Google and automatically assume the worst!  So, next time you can't find your keys, or you've lost your words, or you think you're losing your marbles, give yourself some slack and relax… it's more likely you've got a lot on your plate.    Links and resources: For more information head over to Dr Nicola Gates, a clinical neuropsychologist,  and her amazing book A Brain for Life. You can follow The Hormone Hub podcast over on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon or wherever you're listening right now. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks!