The menopause causes Alzheimer’s-like changes to the brain, new research shows – but experts say brain fog can often be improved with lifestyle changes
The symptoms of menopause that look like dementia, and what to do about them
The menopause causes Alzheimer’s-like changes to the brain, new research shows – but experts say brain fog can often be improved with lifestyle changes
The symptoms of menopause that look like dementia, and what to do about them
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Many women who go through perimenopause and menopause report cognitive changes, including problems with memory and word finding, poor concentration and the dreaded “brain fog” which can make it difficult to think clearly. Often described as disorientating, in some cases debilitating — and often felt in a period of your life when you are at the peak of your career, may have significant familial responsibilities and are potentially caring for ageing parents — these changes [can feel even more worrying](https://inews.co.uk/opinion/menopause-fear-dementia-now-i-know-why-4196750?ico=in-line_link) given some of them overlap with those characteristics of dementia.
But a severe lack of research into the area means we still have huge gaps in our knowledge about why. New research from the University of Cambridge, published in *Psychological Medicine,* has suggested the menopause causes brain changes similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers say this could explain why more women develop dementia than men – according to the Alzheimer’s Society, women account for around two thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s disease (the most common form) in the UK.
The study, which drew on data from almost 125,000 women from the UK, divided participants into three groups: pre-menopause, post-menopause who have never used HRT or post-menopause who have used HRT. They answered questions about their experience of menopause, mental health and sleep. Some took part in cognition tests and around 11,000 participants also underwent MRI scans to allow researchers to look at the structure of their brains.
Link to published study?
“The menopause” hahaha. Was the author smoking the marihuana?
So the study controlled and filtered by
* age
* education
* socioeconomic status
* BMI
* smoking
* cardiovascular risk factors
* and mental health history.
But they did not filter out
* prior strong viral infections (EBV, influenza, shingles, covid)
* a neuroinflammation history unless there’s a formal neurological diagnosis.
I note this because post-viral syndromes seem to have the same set of symptoms. (Hell, current studies even assume that nearly half of “long covid” brain fog patients have pTau-181 levels that are above a clinical threshold indicating dementia. And life style changes like low histamine / low gluten / low lactose / low sugar / anti-inflammatory diets seem to help many “long covid” patients. So, same suggestions. No “cure”, but a lowering of symptoms.)
Feels dirty saying “Alzheimer’s-like” and “brain fog” as the same thing in a title. One is significantly more broad than the other.
Symptoms sound similar to histamine intolerance.
Definitely experienced a lot of these – at one point, I thought I might have to go on sick leave. HRT helped immensely and the cognitive symptoms have definitely become fewer now that I am in full menopause.