Being Patient's Guide to Menopause
Symptoms and treatments for menopause
How menopause can affect the brain
Protecting your brain
The link between menopause and Alzheimer’s
What is menopause?
Menopause is the natural life stage when a woman transitions out of her reproductive years as estrogen levels decline, eventually leading to the end of monthly periods. It most often happens between ages 45 and 55, and the transition can begin several years earlier during perimenopause, when symptoms like hot flashes, sleep changes, and “brain fog” may start.
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What are the first signs of menopause?
The first signs of menopause, known as perimenopause, often include:
Irregular periods
Night sweats
Hot Flashes
Sleep disturbances
Mood swings
Some women also experience brain fog, vaginal dryness, or changes in libido. These symptoms can begin several years before periods stop completely.
Return
Next
At what age does menopause usually start?
Menopause typically starts between ages 45 and 55, with the average age in the U.S. being 51. It is officially diagnosed when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. Early menopause occurs between the ages of 40 and 45, and premature menopause occurs before the age of 40. These earlier forms of menopause may be influenced by genetics, autoimmune conditions, or medical treatments, including chemotherapy.
Return
Next
Menopause and the brain
Menopause is a major reproductive milestone — but research increasingly shows it’s also a neurological one. As estrogen levels drop, many women experience:
Mood changes
Brain fog
Sleep disruption
These cognitive shifts aren’t just “in your head.” They’re linked to hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, and even vascular health. And they matter because nearly 2/3 of Alzheimer’s cases are in women.
Return
Next
What is brain fog?
Brain fog is not a medical diagnosis, but rather the description patients tend to use for their symptoms.
Feeling confused or disoriented
Problems with language
Concentration
Information processing
Memory
Return
Next
What we know about menopause and the brain
2/3 of Alzheimer’s cases are women. Scientists don’t know why Alzheimer's disproportionately impacts women and why a drop in estrogen makes the brain susceptible to neurodegeneration. Tau tangles, a key Alzheimer’s biomarker, also spreads more rapidly in the female brain.
“We understand more now about how HRT, the pre-menopause transition, a hysterectomy, for example — all these things — might not just affect Alzheimer’s risk but how they affect brain pathology.”
Dr. Richard Isaacson
Director of research at The Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Read more
Return
Next
What can help relieve menopause symptoms?
Menopause symptoms can be managed by the following:
- Lifestyle changes
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Non-hormonal medications, and natural remedies
Treatments should be tailored to individual needs, so it’s best to talk to a doctor about the safest and most effective options.
Return
Next
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
About 5 percent of American women opt for hormone replacement therapy — a pill or patch form of therapy to compensate for the hormones lost during menopause. HRT contains natural or synthetic versions of estrogen or sometimes in combination with another hormone called progesterone.
A recent study investigated how the timing of HRT affected Alzheimer’s risk. Study author Dr. Fnu Vaibhav of the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University in India conducted an analysis examining more than 50 studies.
Read more
Return
Next
Maddy Dychtwald on approaches to HRT
Maddy Dychtwald is an entrepreneur and futurist focused on women’s longevity and healthy aging. She is the author of “Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan”. She spoke to Being Patient about different approache to HRT.
“There's two different approaches that are available for taking HRT. The first is just taking a very small amount to tweak my estrogen and progesterone so that I was sleeping okay, that my brain stayed healthy, my heart, my metabolism, my whole systems were still running effectively. That’s what I have chosen to do.
Maddy Dychtwald
READ MORE
Return
Next
Menopause and Alzheimer’s
Is there a link between menopause and Alzheimer disease? Hormonal changes during menopause may increase a woman’s risk for Alzheimer’s. The drop in estrogen may contribute to memory problems and cognitive decline. Early menopause or surgical removal of ovaries may further raise this risk.
Voice analysis
Return
Next
Learn more
Return
Next
Want to learn more?
Check out
beingpatient.com
for the latest news and information on brain health and Alzheimer's disease
Return
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Transcript
Being Patient's Guide to Menopause
Symptoms and treatments for menopause
How menopause can affect the brain
Protecting your brain
The link between menopause and Alzheimer’s
What is menopause?
Menopause is the natural life stage when a woman transitions out of her reproductive years as estrogen levels decline, eventually leading to the end of monthly periods. It most often happens between ages 45 and 55, and the transition can begin several years earlier during perimenopause, when symptoms like hot flashes, sleep changes, and “brain fog” may start.
Return
Next
What are the first signs of menopause?
The first signs of menopause, known as perimenopause, often include:
Irregular periods
Night sweats
Hot Flashes
Sleep disturbances
Mood swings
Some women also experience brain fog, vaginal dryness, or changes in libido. These symptoms can begin several years before periods stop completely.
Return
Next
At what age does menopause usually start?
Menopause typically starts between ages 45 and 55, with the average age in the U.S. being 51. It is officially diagnosed when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. Early menopause occurs between the ages of 40 and 45, and premature menopause occurs before the age of 40. These earlier forms of menopause may be influenced by genetics, autoimmune conditions, or medical treatments, including chemotherapy.
Return
Next
Menopause and the brain
Menopause is a major reproductive milestone — but research increasingly shows it’s also a neurological one. As estrogen levels drop, many women experience:
Mood changes
Brain fog
Sleep disruption
These cognitive shifts aren’t just “in your head.” They’re linked to hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, and even vascular health. And they matter because nearly 2/3 of Alzheimer’s cases are in women.
Return
Next
What is brain fog?
Brain fog is not a medical diagnosis, but rather the description patients tend to use for their symptoms.
Feeling confused or disoriented
Problems with language
Concentration
Information processing
Memory
Return
Next
What we know about menopause and the brain
2/3 of Alzheimer’s cases are women. Scientists don’t know why Alzheimer's disproportionately impacts women and why a drop in estrogen makes the brain susceptible to neurodegeneration. Tau tangles, a key Alzheimer’s biomarker, also spreads more rapidly in the female brain.
“We understand more now about how HRT, the pre-menopause transition, a hysterectomy, for example — all these things — might not just affect Alzheimer’s risk but how they affect brain pathology.”
Dr. Richard Isaacson
Director of research at The Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Read more
Return
Next
What can help relieve menopause symptoms?
Menopause symptoms can be managed by the following:
Treatments should be tailored to individual needs, so it’s best to talk to a doctor about the safest and most effective options.
Return
Next
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
About 5 percent of American women opt for hormone replacement therapy — a pill or patch form of therapy to compensate for the hormones lost during menopause. HRT contains natural or synthetic versions of estrogen or sometimes in combination with another hormone called progesterone.
A recent study investigated how the timing of HRT affected Alzheimer’s risk. Study author Dr. Fnu Vaibhav of the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University in India conducted an analysis examining more than 50 studies.
Read more
Return
Next
Maddy Dychtwald on approaches to HRT
Maddy Dychtwald is an entrepreneur and futurist focused on women’s longevity and healthy aging. She is the author of “Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan”. She spoke to Being Patient about different approache to HRT.
“There's two different approaches that are available for taking HRT. The first is just taking a very small amount to tweak my estrogen and progesterone so that I was sleeping okay, that my brain stayed healthy, my heart, my metabolism, my whole systems were still running effectively. That’s what I have chosen to do.
Maddy Dychtwald
READ MORE
Return
Next
Menopause and Alzheimer’s
Is there a link between menopause and Alzheimer disease? Hormonal changes during menopause may increase a woman’s risk for Alzheimer’s. The drop in estrogen may contribute to memory problems and cognitive decline. Early menopause or surgical removal of ovaries may further raise this risk.
Voice analysis
Return
Next
Learn more
Return
Next
Want to learn more?
Check out
beingpatient.com
for the latest news and information on brain health and Alzheimer's disease
Return