Brain Fog - Could You Be Losing It?

Let’s talk about the thing no one warned us about: walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there. Sound familiar? Or rereading the same sentence three times before it sticks. Or feeling like your brain has suddenly been replaced with Swiss cheese. Or looking for the glasses that are on your head. Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

No, you’re not losing your mind. You’ve likely hit menopause.

According to journalist and advocate Tamsen Fadal, cognitive changes, better known in our circles as “brain fog” are a very real, very common part of the transition. Up to two-thirds of women report forgetfulness, trouble focusing, or just not feeling as sharp as they used to. It’s not early-onset dementia. It’s hormones.

Estrogen, the chemical ‘ride-or-die’ that’s been running the show since puberty, plays a huge role in memory, attention, and overall brain function. When levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, the brain scrambles to adjust. And scramble is the best word for it.

Here’s the bright side: brain fog isn’t forever. Studies show many women regain their cognitive groove post-menopause once hormone fluctuations level out. So, while this phase might feel like you’re operating like it’s 20 leagues under the sea, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

So, what can we do in the meantime?

• Give yourself grace. Forgetting a word mid-sentence doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means your brain is doing overtime on a shifting landscape. Laugh and move on to the next incorrectly used word.

  
  

• Support your brain health. Movement, sleep, and nutrition aren’t sexy answers, but they’re powerful. And no, not to sound like Eeyore but wine doesn’t count as a fruit serving. 

  
  

• Use your tools. Google calender, Lists, reminders, sticky notes on every surface, whatever helps you keep it together, do it unapologetically.

• Talk about it. The more we normalize this, the less women will sit in silence, worried they’re “slipping.”

  
  

Fadal puts it perfectly:

 “Brain fog is part of menopause, but it doesn’t define who we are or what we can accomplish.”

The bottom line? You’re not fading - you’re recalibrating. This stage of life doesn’t diminish you; it sharpens you in new ways once the fog lifts. And if you ask me, remembering where you put your keys is overrated anyway. Get someone else to drive.

Source: Tamsen Fadal, Cognitive Changes During Menopause