Menopause & Memory Loss

When it comes to menopause most of us think of hot flashes. But how about memory loss?

They call it “menopause fog” or menopause brain fog” and it happens a lot more than most of us think.

Typically when we think about menopause most of us think about the typical hot flashes or night sweats that women sometimes go through. Some women going through “the change” might have noticed a little more trouble with their memory happening at the same time. Chances are they didn't think much about connecting the two. But a new study has found that the connection between menopause and brain fog exists and probably happens more than you'd think.

Researchers involved in this study, published in the journal “Menopause” found that women with memory complaints during menopause were more likely to have problems with working memory, like what we use when we calculate a tip at a restaurant. They also found that this menopause memory issue differed from typical memory problems we have as we get older, because those typically surround issues with storing and remembering new information, not necessarily with using the memory we already have.

Although researchers aren't sure why this is happening they did find out that 67% of menopausal women in this study had these types of memory problems. Now knowing this happens can hopefully lead to more recognition, more studies and more ways to cope during the menopausal years.