Menopause Brain Fog Is Real — Here’s What Scientists Just Saw in the Brain

Those memory missteps and brain fog during menopause aren’t manufactured. New brain imaging research found that brain function differs across the stages of menopause, linked to the drastic decline of ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone, demonstrating that menopause is as much a neurological transition as it is a reproductive one.

The Study

151 middle-aged participants (ages 40 to 55) spanning pre-, peri-, and post-menopause had their brains analyzed while at rest. Compared to their pre-menopausal counterparts, the post-menopausal group’s brain connectivity was lower in two areas:

• Supramarginal gyrus (including its anterior division) — language and speech processing, plus roles in sensory integration, awareness, and memory and social cognition
• Planum temporale — sound processing

What Causes Menopause Brain Fog?

Experiencing brain fog among other symptoms during or after menopause is far from unusual — and perimenopause brain fog often begins even earlier, in the years leading up to it. Nearly six out of every 10 women experience some form of it, though it might be the symptom of a symptom.

One aspect of menopause is decreased glucose metabolism, the process of breaking down carbohydrates into energy. Another is the decrease in estrogen, which might account for the hot flashes, poor sleep, forgetfulness, and other distressing symptoms.

Poor sleep is arguably the biggest offender, since a lack of good shut-eye can lead to a decline in various cognitive functions, including information recall and processing, decision-making, and communication.

How to Ease Menopause Brain Fog

There’s no magic switch, but a few habits may help. Because chronic stress and anxiety can worsen cognitive symptoms, easing them is a reasonable place to start — journaling can reduce stress, and more generally, simply writing things down by hand activates the broad areas of the brain affected by menopause.

You could also head to the gym. Resistance training at least twice per week has been shown to improve cognition. Switching up your routine might also help, as compelling the brain to create and recognize new patterns can have positive effects.

Be good to yourself. The symptoms throughout menopause are expected and challenging to handle. Sharing your experience with others and staying positive might improve your sleep, and better sleep could directly clear up the fog.