NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Losing their train of thought, having trouble remembering once-familiar words, or forgetting why they enter a room can make older adults wonder if they are showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
However, these brain abnormalities can often be linked to hormonal changes later in life, medical experts note, and women who experience estrogen loss during perimenopause and menopause are particularly affected.
According to Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, professor of neurology at UCLA and co-founder of Cleopatra RX in Los Angeles, women facing memory problems in midlife should compare their cognitive function to their own past performance before assuming something is seriously wrong.
WOMEN WHO START COMMON HORMONOTHERAPY IN THEIR 50S MAY HAVE A 23% LOWER RISK OF DEMENTIA
“I think they should listen to themselves,” Voskuhl told Fox News Digital at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit in New York on Friday. “They know. Just ask yourself.”
In women, sudden memory loss in midlife is often due to a loss of estrogen during perimenopause and menopause rather than early-onset dementia. (iStock)
The ten-year report
To help women assess whether their memory loss is related to hormonal changes, Voskuhl recommends using a quick reference point of comparing a current mental state to where it was ten years ago.
“The first question is: are you worse off than you were 10 years ago?” she said, referring to the Voskuhl Brain Fog Menopause Assessment used as part of UCLA’s Comprehensive Menopause Program.
KATIE COURIC DID NOT REMEMBER THE YEAR OR PRESIDENT DURING SCARY BRAIN EPISODE
“Ten years is a good time. And they’re like, ‘What was I doing 10 years ago?’ And they will remember it.”
This comparison can help reveal whether a woman’s cognitive changes may be linked to menopause, while giving patients and doctors a baseline to track symptoms over time.
CDC data shows that about one in nine adults report subjective cognitive decline, but fewer than half discuss these memory problems with a healthcare professional. (iStock)
The NFL analogy
Standard memory tests don’t always detect subtle changes in everyday cognitive functions. In the medical community, this is called subjective cognitive decline, when patients notice changes even though neurological tests remain normal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one in nine adults report subjective cognitive decline, but fewer than half discuss these memory problems with a healthcare professional.
To illustrate why routine tests can miss the early brain fog of menopause, Voskuhl compared it to a high-performance athlete.
“They know if they’re not like they used to be.”
“If someone is an NFL football player and they say, ‘I’m weaker than I used to be,’ and I go to do my neurological test, I say, ‘Oh no, you’re still strong,'” Voskuhl said.
How the player feels still matters, even if a standard test shows no obvious decline, she noted.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Women, too, can often recognize when their cognitive abilities have changed relative to their own baseline values and should rely on these observations, according to Voskuhl.
Standard neurological tests often overlook menopausal brain fog because patients experience “subjective cognitive decline,” noticing subtle declines in personal performance that clinical tests register as normal. (iStock)
Understanding the difference between hormonal brain fog and neurodegenerative diseases comes down to the impact of memory loss on daily functioning, experts agree.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Menopausal brain fog typically involves temporary, inconsistent lapses, like misplaced objects or slower processing speed, but overall reasoning skills and independence remain intact, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms often fluctuate and can be exacerbated by stress or poor sleep.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
In contrast, early-onset dementia causes persistent, progressive memory loss that interferes with basic daily tasks like managing finances, following familiar routes while driving, or exercising good judgment.
If cognitive problems arise, experts advise conducting a thorough medical evaluation to rule out other problems and finding a new doctor if symptoms are ignored. (iStock)
Amid cognitive issues, experts advise seeking a comprehensive medical evaluation, including brain MRIs or vascular scans, to rule out underlying issues like blood vessel disease or thyroid imbalances.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
For women who feel their concerns are being ignored, Voskuhl offers this advice: “When they have doctors who don’t listen to them, they need to find another one.”
Gn Health
