Professor Pauline Maki
The University of Illinois at Chicago
Complaints of brain fog are common in the years leading up to the menopause transition and thereafter. Longitudinal studies validate these complaints in showing measurable and reliable changes in certain cognitive domains, particularly memory for words and other verbal material, as women transition through the menopause. These changes in verbal memory appear to be due in part to the direct effects of estrogens on brain circuits involved in memory formation as well as to menopausal symptoms, including sleep disturbance, vasomotor symptoms and mood. Treatment options for these complaints are to be tailored to the individual woman depending on the magnitude of her cognitive complaints, her sensitivity to estrogen withdrawal, the severity of vasomotor and sleep symptoms, the presence of life stressors, and her lifestyle. The reassuring news is that for most women, these cognitive issues are temporary and resolve in the postmenopause. Identifying the factors that lead to that resolution and that perpetuate cognitive issues is a priority for women’s health research as continued cognitive issues may predispose women to cognitive decline and potentially for some women, dementia.