For almost two-thirds of women that undergo menopause, not only does it present numerous undesirable changes to their bodies and a change in their cognitive skills. Reports of brain fog have been unanimous with menopause, sparking work troubles and dementia fears for many.
Despite the numerous advancements in the medical aspects of menopause-a natural occurrence when women have not had their menstrual period for a year- only now have people been able to recognize the impact of cognitive changes during menopause.
Understanding Menopause
Menopause is a period in a woman's life that marks the end of their reproductive years. At an average age of 49 years old, it happens naturally when hairlike follicles in the ovaries grow weary. At the same time, it could also happen surgically when doctors remove both ovaries for various medical reasons.
The period of change from reproductive to post-menopausal years is known as "perimenopause," which usually lasts 4-10 years. Symptoms often include vasomotor symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, sleep disturbance, depression, vaginal dryness, anxiety, and brain fog.
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Brain Fog in Women Undergoing Menopause
A review published in the Journal of Women's Health & Gender-Based Medicine, titled "Midlife Women's Attributions about Perceived Memory Changes: Observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study," found that 60% of women during their menopause transition report cognitive difficulties.
They describe having difficulties remembering names and finding the right words to use in conversations. Some describe hardships in concentrating or making decisions. In a recent review published in the journal Vitamins and Hormones, titled "Chapter Nineteen - Sex hormones and cognition in aging," subjective cognitive difficulties appear to have a relationship with performances on recall, memory, and processing.
Meanwhile, difficulties on verbal memory tests, verbal fluency, and attention are seen in women during their perimenopausal stage.
While the gravity of cognitive decline is subtle and women's performances are generally within normal functioning limits, the symptoms are bothersome for many individuals. For most women, menopause coincides with the most productive time of their lives, when the responsibility of caring for young children has eased and when they've garnered both seniority and experience in the workplace.
Brain fog isn't a psychological nor a medical term; however, it's a lay term that perfectly describes the fogginess in cognition experienced by many women during their years of menopause.
Cognitive changes related to menopause aren't just age-related. In fact, there is the fluctuating and eventual decline of hormone productions of ovarian linked with menopause that plays a key role. Hormones produced by the ovaries, estradiol, and progesterone are known potent brain chemicals that are believed to safeguard the brain and enhance thinking and memory. The fluctuations and eventually loss of the hormone from the body have contributed to cognitive decline, reports WomensAgenda.
Cognitive difficulty symptoms occur even in the absence of other menopausal symptoms. This means that other known menopausal symptoms aren't the root cause of the cognitive decline. Although many scientists have added to the area, this trend is still greatly unknown. This is why women living with brain fog have an increased fear of dementia. Adding on the fact that the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, has an increased risk factor in women.
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