Menopause begins when a woman has gone 12 months without a period. However, perimenopause, or the time leading to menopause, is indicated by the slowing of the hormonal production of estrogen which in turn causes the ovaries to stop functioning. But, what about the mind and menopause?
Most commonly discussed symptoms of menopause are among others hot flashes, night sweats, and anxiety which accompany these normal physiological changes in a woman's life. However, the less talked about but still very common symptoms include some changes in the brain/mind function during this transitional and often lengthy space of time.
Menopause and perimenopause can have collateral effects on the mind of a woman for the short term which can cause frustration and concern for those experiencing such symptomatology. In fact, it is estimated that between one third and two thirds of women experience forgetfulness, concentration issues as well as recall issues.
Such temporary forgetfulness might manifest in common ways like misplacing keys, difficulty remembering someone's name or having challenges learning new tasks quickly. These effects are associated with fluctuations in hormone levels and are most often temporary though they can have affects on daily functioning.
It is important to distinguish between this level of cognitive difficulty which is subtle and that related to the onset of dementia which is more pronounced and more severe. Understanding that small cognition changes during this span of time are normal as well as are the many other common symptoms women experience such as changes in sleep, more frequent headaches and possible weight gain, just to name some.
In many cases, managing stress, staying active, exercising, and eating healthy and nutritious meals can all contribute to this life adjustment and assist in alleviating some of these symptoms. If you are truly concerned about cognition issues and functioning, your healthcare provider is the best resource and usually a quick test can ease concerns. Additionally, your healthcare provider can discuss the pros and cons of any additional therapies during this transitional time.
If you would like more information on this topic, here are a few links for further reading from Harvard Health, and from the National Library of Medicine.
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Domenico Praticò, MD, holds the Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair for Alzheimer’s Research and serves as a Professor and Founding Director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple, as well as a Professor of Neural Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
For more information on the research conducted by Dr. Domenico Pratico, please visit this link.
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Stay updated with the work happening at Dr. Domenico Pratico's lab by visiting the Pratico Lab website.
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