Ms Lauren Dewsbury1, Associate Professor Mike Armour1,2, Associate Professor Carolyn Ee3, Professor Birgit Derntl4, Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim1,5,6,7
1NICM Health Research Institute and Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia, 2Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ), Wellington, New Zealand, 3Flinders Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, 4Tübingen Centre for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, 5Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany , 6German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Jena, Germany, 7Center for Intervention and Research on Adaptive and Maladaptive Brain Circuits Underlying Mental Health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, , Germany
Biography:
Lauren Dewsbury is a cognitive neuroscientist and PhD researcher specialising in female brain health and the menopause transition. Her work examines menopause as a neurobiological and bioenergetic transition, with a focus on how oestrogen decline influences brain metabolism, cognition, and mood, and how these changes may influence dementia risk.
She is the Principal Investigator of the MENOCOG Trial, a randomised controlled feasibility study evaluating creatine supplementation as a non-hormonal intervention for cognitive and mood symptoms in postmenopausal women with subjective cognitive decline and dementia risk.
Aims:
The aim was to qualitatively explore lived experiences of cognitive and affective changes during peri- and post-menopausal stages, workplace and healthcare experiences, and identify clinically relevant implications.
Methods:
Nineteen women participated in two 90-minute online focus groups. Guided by an interview schedule, discussions explored cognitive symptoms, functional impacts, and healthcare experiences. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis with an inductive approach to identify recurrent themes.
Results:
Four themes emerged. 1:Cognitive dysfunction: “brain fog” and “chaos,” with significant consequences for occupational performance and daily functioning. 2:Psychological impact: Participants described symptoms as “all-encompassing.” Emotional dysregulation, anxiety, low or volatile mood, reduced stress tolerance and experiences of grief and identity loss, “it was like a stranger looking back at me in the mirror.” 3:Workplace impact: Diminished capacity, stigma and non-disclosure. 4:Inadequate healthcare: Frequent dismissal or misattribution of symptoms, contrasted with improved health outcomes associated with validation and collaborative care.
Conclusion:
Cognitive symptoms during menopause are functionally impairing and clinically significant, warranting recognition beyond traditional frameworks. Variability in care, particularly dismissal versus validation shapes outcomes and highlights need for better clinician education and patient-centered approaches. Participants called for menopause specialists and a ‘one-stop-shop’ for treatment, citing accessibility and cost as critical barriers.