How Does Menopause Cause Brain Fog?

Most women reach menopause — the end of menstruation and fertility — in their early fifties. As many middle-aged women discover, the declining reproductive hormone levels that propel this “change of life” can give rise to many bothersome side effects, including:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Weight gain and low energy
• Low mood; trouble sleeping
• Thinning hair and drier skin
• Vaginal dryness and low libido

While such symptoms are often expected, another common side effect of menopause — brain fog — may come as a surprise. Here, our team of women’s wellness experts at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology in Amarillo, Texas, explore how menopause can prompt short-term cognitive changes and explain what you can do about it. 

Understanding brain fog

Brain fog is an umbrella medical term that covers a range of symptoms related to mild cognitive impairment. These symptoms can affect your ability to think clearly, remember, focus, process new information, and make decisions. 

As its name implies, brain fog can cloud your mind. The cognitive blips it causes can make it hard to hold a conversation, remember appointments, and concentrate when engaged in a multi-step process. Brain fog is associated with:

• Difficulty paying attention
• Unusual mental exhaustion 
• Easily lost your train of thought
• Fuzzy thinking or confusion
• Slower thought processing 
• Trouble finding the right words

Brain fog is usually a short-term problem that occurs as a side effect of something else, such as medication use, increased stress, insufficient sleep, a mental health condition like depression, a chronic illness like diabetes, or shifting hormones — either during pregnancy or menopause. 

Brain fog and menopause 

Brain fog is a common complaint among women going through perimenopause (the years-long transition phase into menopause) as well as those who’ve just reached menopause (12 months without a menstrual period). Here’s why:

Hormonal changes

The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone don’t just drive reproduction, they also support a wide range of physiological functions including memory, thinking, synapse building, and brain maintenance. When these hormone levels dwindle during menopause, cognition can temporarily suffer. 

Research shows that women who experience other, more severe menopause symptoms — particularly mood issues (i.e., depression) and sexual concerns (i.e., low libido) — tend to have more pronounced brain fog symptoms too. 

Contributing factors

Other factors — many of which are either common with menopause or in mid-life — can contribute to the emergence of brain fog. These include:

Stress, depression, and anxiety

Each of these conditions can undermine brain function and intensify cognitive impairment symptoms. Depression and anxiety are also common side effects of menopause. 

Lack of sleep 

Sleep is when your brain rests and detoxifies itself. When you don’t get enough restful sleep each night, brain fog can worsen. 

Certain medications

Sleeping pills, antidepressants, statins, and some other common medications can affect brain function and set the stage for brain fog — or heighten an existing problem. 

Poor dietary patterns 

Not getting the right balance of macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) or enough essential micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) can slow brain function and cloud your thinking. 

Improving brain function

Luckily, menopause-related brain fog tends to be temporary, and most women experience cognitive improvement once their hormone levels fully stabilize. In the meantime, you can alleviate brain fog symptoms by:

• Getting plenty of exercise
• Eating a wholesome diet 
• Staying properly hydrated
• Addressing sleep concerns
• Managing chronic stress
• Seeking mental health help
• Staying calm and patient 

Tools to manage brain fog, such as slowing down, writing lists, using a calendar, and planning ahead, can be helpful. It can also be beneficial to challenge your brain by playing board games, doing puzzles, reading, or taking different routes when you run weekly errands.

If you have other persistent menopause symptoms — especially if they’re moderate to severe — hormone replacement therapy may help with brain fog. When symptoms like low energy, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and night sweats are better controlled, many women notice their mood and cognition improve as well. 

Worried about brain fog?

Unfortunately, the symptoms of brain fog are the same ones associated with the kind of mild cognitive impairment that often precedes dementia, making such changes especially concerning in middle age. Your primary care doctor can help you rule out more serious issues if you’re worried about your brain fog symptoms. 

Struggling with menopause-related brain fog? We’re here to help. Call 806-359-5468 to schedule a visit at Panhandle Obstetrics and Gynecology today.