‘Invite me for lunch but not for dinner’: Mini Mathur shares things she no longer does in perimenopause

“My mind is on airplane mode after 7 pm. Invite me for lunch but not for dinner,” said the television host, adding that her mood swings and hot flashes have her changing the AC temperature often and detesting hugs from others.

Are these symptoms common in all women?

All jokes aside, many women report issues related to memory loss or brain fog during menopause. Dr Kavitha G Pujar, Consultant – Obstetrician, Gynecologist, and Infertility Specialist, Motherhood Hospitals, HRBR Layout, Bangalore shared some of the common reasons why that happens:

Estrogen level drop

There will be a drop in the estrogen levels, which plays a key role in brain functioning. It regulates neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine, which are crucial for memory and concentration. “Whenever estrogen levels decline during menopause and perimenopause, this chemical balance shifts, and it affects the short-term memory, as well as the mental clarity,” she said.

Change in brain use

According to her, the second important reason for brain-related issues or memory loss is a change in brain energy use. “For the effective functioning of the brain glucose is required and estrogen also supports the glucose metabolism in the brain, which means estrogen helps the glucose utilisation by the brain,” she explained, adding that lower estrogen level indicates that the brain becomes less efficient at using glucose, which may lead to a slower processing and feeling of mental fatigue leading to brain fog.

 

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Disturbed sleep

The third reason will be sleeping disturbances. Hot flashes and night sweats often disrupt sleep, which affects the hippocampus and memory center of the brain, leading to lapses in recall and focus.

Stress

The fourth reason will be stress and cortisol. “Midlife can bring more stress, for example, it could be related to work stress, family involvement, or taking care of aging parents. So, chronic stress raises the cortisol levels, which can interfere with memory and shrink the hippocampal volume over time,” she explained.

Mood fluctuations

Mood changes are also very common in menopause. Menopause increases the risk of depression and anxiety, which themselves can cause poor attention, forgetfulness, and slower mental processing. Menopause occurs in around 47 to 50 years of age which often also correlates coincides with the age-related cognitive changes which naturally happen.

However, Dr Pujar noted that brain fog or memory loss is kind of temporary, and it is more evidently seen in perimenopausal women, who are shifting from a reproductive phase to a menopause phase. “During this time, there is more confusion and less clarity, but as the hormone stabilizes, the body adjusts to a new hormonal environment, and once menopause sets in properly, these issues will go down,” she said. Dr. Pujar also emphasized the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle modifications and taking care of one’s health to manage memory issues effectively.