My best friend and I both turn 49 this year. After discussing our various aches and pains, our phone conversations often turn to “Do you ever feel like you are losing your mind?” We usually discuss how we can see a word in our mind, but can’t say it or we just can’t remember someone’s name that we know we know. We discuss whether we need some type of testing, and then write it off to menopause.
As it turns out, we may be right. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago finished up a study recently that shows that the mental fog many perimenopausal patients complain of is just as real as hot flashes and night sweats.
The study consisted of 75 perimenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 60. They were tested on their memory, which included being asked how often they forgot things and how serious they felt their forgetfulness was. The researchers also took into consideration the women’s health, mood, and hormone levels. I usually blame 99% of my issues now on hormones.
The study, was published in the March issue of Menopause, found that about two-thirds of the women studied complained of memory problems. Almost half complained of their mental fog being “serious.” Those that said their memory problems were more severe were more likely to do poorly when testing their working memory and attention. They often had to reread things several times and had trouble focusing on what they were reading if they got distracted by a noise.
There is good news for us perimenopausal women. The tests showed that the memory loss was not the same as those who suffer from long-term memory loss. It seems that people with age-related mental decline don’t realize they are losing their memory, while menopausal women will complain about memory problems. In my experience, menopausal women will complain about most anything, while all the time wondering why we are complaining.
So what makes us forgetful? Some may think it is lack of sleep or mood swings, but the study suggests it is changes in hormones. It seems that our good old friend estrogen in the brain affects the part that deals with memory.
But, it may not be all estrogen. Demands on us from work and family may also be stressing us into forgetting things. I guess we just can’t multitask like we used to. However, doctors say that we should regain our memory ability after menopause ends and hormones level out.
Overall, the researchers felt this study will help women to understand that what they are going through is perfectly normal. So next time you and your friend has a conversation about losing your mind, know that you are not alone.