Menopause and Forgetfulness

Some women begin to notice and worry about memory loss when they are in their forties and fifties. It's unnerving not to recall a familiar word, to forget the name of someone you know or to walk into a room to get something and not remember what you wanted. Short-term memory problems are common, but other types of memory loss are atypical. For example, "forgetting where you put the car keys is normal, but forgetting how to drive the car is not."

(http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ Menopause/signs.htm.htm)

Stress and Stressors

Women in this life stage are pulled in many directions while going through "dramatic hormonal changes." University of Rochester Medical Center Professors Miriam Weber and Mark Mapstone studied menopausal women and found that many suffered from depression or anxiety. Worries about careers, teenage children or aging parents "rob women's attentional resources and impact their ability to encode information." Increased stressors in midlife disrupt women's capacity for learning new things; sometimes it's not that they are actually forgetting, but that their brains never recorded necessary information.

(Between Forgetfulness And Menopause: Menopause pauses memory, posing unforgettable problems. 2006. http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=1013)

Do Menopause Symptoms Cause Forgetfulness?

According to the North American Menopause Society, "there is no firm evidence that cognitive skills actually decline because of...menopause." There may not be a scientific explanation, but during perimenopause and menopause, women experience confused thinking and difficulty concentrating or keeping track of things.

Hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain increase women's tension and stress. Responses to these symptoms cause women's thinking to become muddled; lack of sleep, combined with not eating properly, adversely affects brain function.

(www.menopause.org)

Types of Memory

Everyone has occasional memory lapses, but menopausal women experience frequent inability to retrieve simple information. "Memory operates in three stages: registration, retention and recall. The brain registers daily observations, and if someone repeats or takes note of an action or impression, it is stored in short-term memory so it's immediately accessible. Two aspects of long-term memory keep track of information needed for daily survival: procedural memory tells us how to walk, talk and eat, and prospective memory reminds us about what needs to be done. Unnecessary facts are discarded and forgotten.

(http://www.epigee.org/menopause/memory_loss.html)

Scientific Research

UCLA and Stanford researchers studied "processing speed plus verbal and working memory in 2,362 women, age 45 to 57," tracking them from premenopause into postmenopause. "Cognitive performance was measured at different points...and cognitive functioning did not actually decline at any stage."

Women in late perimenopause (missed periods for three to eleven months) showed less improvement in processing than women in the other three phases. In early and late perimenopause, women showed fewer gains in verbal memory than women in either premenopause or postmenopause."

The study showed that women learn less efficiently during perimenopause but that these deficits are temporary. Once a woman enters postmenopause, her learning capacity, cognitive performance and memory return to premenopausal levels.

(http://www.womenshealth.gov/News/english/627359.htm)

What Can Women Do To Improve Memory?

To prevent memory loss and its contributing stresses, women are encouraged to be physically, socially and mentally active. Suggestions for improving or at least maintaining memory are:

Exercise your brain. Do crossword puzzles or brainteasers. Take classes. Read and discuss what you are reading.

Exercise your body: Participate regularly in aerobic exercise, walking, swimming or hiking.

Get enough rest: Notwithstanding insomnia, night sweats and worry, women should get enough rest and sleep so they can think more clearly.

Eat Right: Without good nutrition, the brain cannot process information properly. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and a balance of protein and carbohydrates. Foods that may improve mental functioning are blueberries, salmon, sardines, legumes, flax seeds and organic unprocessed soy products. Avoid alcohol, which impairs memory.

Reduce Stress: Stress causes your body to release cortisole, a hormone that blocks memory storage. Try deep breathing, calming methods of yoga and meditating to relax.

(http://www.menopause.org/edumaterials/guidebook.aspx & Andrew Weil, M.D.)

References

• Signs of the Menopausal Transition. National Institute on Aging
• Menopause Guidebook, 6th Edition. 2006.
• Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Resources

• Seven Ways to Make It Through Menopause. ABC News