8 min Read.

This was one of the many symptoms that took me by surprise and gave me the biggest fright! My maternal Great Gran died of Alzheimer’s and then my maternal Grand Father and Mother also died of dementia, so when I stopped being able to remember things, I knew, I knew, I really thought I was in trouble.  

For some women, the brain fog symptoms are short lived and slight, however if like me your brain fog had you unable to process basic things in your work and home life, you can find this particular symptom disconcerting.

For many women, and this was especially the case for me, I felt like an imposter in my own life, like I was going crazy and that I may have had early onset dementia. I was particularly concerned to mention it to any one in my work environment, should I be considered incompetent!

Several women I have supported mention and struggle with brain fog, memory problems, or cognitive changes as they go through the menopause journey, and it should never just be brushed off. It is not just that you are too busy and certainly not just because you are a woman!   

In fact, between 44%-62% of women experience cognitive changes during menopause, so you are not alone, see if any of these sound familiar:  

• Short-term memory problems, like why did I walk into this room? 

• Issues in processing sentences or forming them. Like you can’t find the right word, or you can’t finish a sentence, or you simply lose your train of thought altogether. 

• Difficulties remembering names (i.e. tip of the tongue phenomena), or you struggle with dates, and events and have memory lapses.

• Problems with numbers and confidence in working with numbers.

• Difficulties with focus and concentration, finding yourself lost in a daydream and just having a much shorter attention span.

• Difficulties multitasking, you can no longer type and talk on the phone at the same time!

• Time blindness (i.e. difficulty keeping track of time).
• Feeling mentally fatigued, disorganised, disorientated, or taking longer to process and think through a task.

• Struggling to keep in the flow of a conversation.

• Lacking energy and generally feeling in a fog.

The main reason behind the brain fog phenomenon is the decline in estrogen. Our hormones including estrogen and progestogen, play an essential role in maintaining a healthy brain function. So, when the natural decline in estrogen commences, our cognitive function can be significantly impacted.

When our estrogen is declining it means a decrease in glucose or sugar metabolism in the brain by 20-25%. Glucose serves as the brain’s primary fuel, and lower levels can affect brain metabolism, as in, how our brain receives and uses chemicals and nutrients.

Estrogen in the brain:

• Increases blood flow, and improves connectivity, meaning, how different regions of the brain coordinate and communicate.

• It is responsible for boosting serotonin, most commonly associated with mood, but equally required for memory and executive function.

• It is considered a neuroprotective hormone. Our brains are designed to adapt and protect our nervous system from damage, and estrogen is essential in this process.  

With fluctuating hormone levels our brains are adapting, you are literally getting a revamped brain (but more on that in my next journal!), and therefore this is why you get brain fog, amongst the other common symptoms of Menopause!

In medical terms brain fog is referred to as mental fatigue, and as Dr Lisa Mosconi, explains in her book, The Menopause Brain, brain fog is actually subjective cognitive decline. The key word here is subjective. So, if you are experiencing brain fog, and other symptoms such as stress, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, vasomotor symptoms, and you become aware of a decline from a previous level of cognitive function, chances are your performance is OK and actually within a good range and consistent with others of our age.

With everything that goes on during Meno, your brain fog can be perceived in a more subjectively negative way, meaning that you think the symptoms are worse than they are, or by thinking negatively about them, you actually make them worse. Remember to engage in positive mindset practices, to help you think positively through what is happening. Most of us will experience brain fog and there is a silver lining, your brain is excellent at adapting, so we will all move through it, and you will remember things again. Trust me! I have recently started to remember song titles and artists again, something I used to pride myself on. It is a small thing, but I feel so good about that memory muscle returning, it means the fog is lifting!

Although the primary cause of dementia disease is still unknown, in Australia, and other parts of the world, women living with dementia are overrepresented in comparison to men and we are more vulnerable to it in the years before and after Menopause. Women’s brains at Midlife exhibit signs of a higher risk of developing the condition compared to men of the same age, and science is now starting to catch up with the impact that our declining estrogen has on, the beta-amyloid deposits, the proteins that contribute to dementia’s development.

On the science, Maria Shriver discovered that 2 out of 3 cases of Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed in women in America. She has created the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) at Cleveland Clinic, which specifically recognizes that women are at the epicentre of this global epidemic. They now fund women-based research, such as that by Dr Lisa Mosconi, to understand why Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women’s brains.

Another thing that I discovered while struggling through my brain fog is that Iodine is the most important nutrient involved in thyroid health and Iodine deficiency is often overlooked as the cause of brain fog. Being notoriously low in Australian soils, it may be the cause of other health concerns during menopause, including poor memory, fatigue, hormone imbalances, hair breaking or falling out, weight issues, fluid retention, depression, anxiety, heart or thyroid disease and lumpy breasts, amongst other things.

The best things you can do to help with brain fog and cognitive changes are:

• Firstly, be reassured that it is temporary and your risk of early onset dementia, if you are not at genetic risk, is very low.

• Get organised, plan your week, and make a list of everything that you are thinking about in your head. Once out on paper, prioritise those things into a to do list (or a ‘Positive Charge’ list), making sure in your weekly plan you map out when you will get those tasks done.

• Use a calendar to set yourself reminders and try to do one thing at a time.

• Take notes and ask people to email you with important information, rather than trying to remember it.

• Make sure to give yourself ample time to rest and relax, allowing your cells to repair and promote healthy brain function. Try and have a magnesium bath once a week.

• Practice mindfulness and meditation to help reduce stress and bring yourself into focus.

• Maintain a healthy diet, focused on lots of healthy plant-based foods that are phytoestrogenic, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and think about adding seaweed to your salads, which is a great way to add more iodine.

• Keep your seafood intake higher, while keeping your meat intake lower. Focus on Omega 3 rich types of fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines to support brain functionality.

• Remember, the brain is like a muscle—use it frequently to keep it active and engaged. Try learning something new, either reading or listening to podcasts or trying new activities, like learning a new skill.

• Make sure you are doing regular exercise daily, even if only a small amount of say 20mins per day. Exercise is one of the best things we can do for our brain health and it can be a mindful meditation, check out the movement journal, Walking, being in nature and doing it with friends when you can!.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, as the brain relies on adequate hydration for optimal performance and avoid or reduce illicit substances, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and smoking.

There are some key supplements that you can use to reduce your brain fog symptoms and I have found success with Omega 3 (Fish Oil) and Vitamin D, so if you can’t take hormone replacement then these complimentary therapies are most effective. I would strongly recommend going through a naturopath to get the good stuff that is practitioner only. Yes, they are a little more expensive, but you can be reassured that it is correctly constituted:

• Omega-3s fatty acids: are known to help with increased brain health, memory, attention, and mood, as well as helping to reduce anxiety, depression, and low moods.

• Vitamin D: More than 1 in every 3 adults has mild, moderate, or severe vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in Australia, but some people are at a greater risk, for example if you spend limited time outside, or have a poor diet and don’t get what you need in your food. If you are in the Meno change then it is important to be aware of this deficiency as it can lead to osteoporosis, bone, and joint pain. I was prescribed Vitamin D for my pain, but I really notice my cognitive function if I don’t have it. Studies have shown supplementing with a low dose of Vitamin D daily for one year significantly improves memory and cognitive function.

Remember if you are really concerned about your cognition, you must speak with your doctor, you can ask for a Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) or formal memory testing if your feel your symptoms are deteriorating without explanation, and this is impacting your daily life.

When getting tests ask for screening of other things such as Iodine deficiency, Adrenal Cortisol levels, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, which all impact cognitive function.

Please take the time to navigate the Menopause Resources, where the professionals I have connected with on my journey share their insights and where I share more deeply my Peri-Menopause journey with you and the solutions around Movement, Mindset and Modify.

Remember to connect for a Shout! We can Shout! Shout! Let it all out! Any way you want! We can coordinate a meeting that works for you, your schedule and situation, right here.

Sending Positive Vibrations, M. x

#Menopause #Perimenopause #Womensupportingwomen #Positivevibes #Movement #Mindset #Modify #Menoconcierge #Mimimoonmeno #MEG #GENX #Estrogen #Brainfog