Menopause - a whole-body experience

In our culture, menopause is often portrayed as something to be laughed at or ignored. I’ve known people walk out of the room at the mention of the word, perhaps fearful of what they might have to listen to, afraid of saying the wrong thing or maybe because they believe it’s wholly the realm of ‘women of a certain age’ and nothing to do with them.  

There’s a perception it’s all about the end of periods, alongside the hot flushes that come out of nowhere and cause us to become molten heaps, unable to string a sentence together. 

The stereotypical view of menopause is of women losing their minds, going ‘crazy’, getting ‘scatty’, being unable to cope with life, work and technology. It’s no wonder that women would rather not talk about it, or admit they’re going through it, especially at work. These images, feeding the ageism in our society, do not paint a favourable picture of women navigating this time of life.  

The brain and menopause

Historically, the impact of menopause has been focused on our ovaries: menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive life. Yet little has been understood about the impact on a woman’s brain, even though women report it is the psychological and brain symptoms that have the biggest impact.

Brain fog is the commonly used phrase to describe the psychological and brain symptoms of menopause. It’s an inadequate term referring to memory loss, concentration issues, a lack of clarity of thinking, inability to retrieve facts on demand, loss of words, names and phrases, difficulty juggling tasks and sleep disturbances. Any of these can lead to an increase in stress and anxiety, which only serves to further compound the problems. The infamous hot flushes turn out to also be a brain symptom of menopause, as they are caused by changes in the way we control our body temperature – which is regulated by the hypothalamus gland in our brain. 

Women can begin to feel invisible

I talk to many women who are genuinely scared they are developing dementia during perimenopause. One woman said to me: “It’s more like brain total collapse, the brain can no longer function. My brain is all jumbled up and no longer makes any sense.”

Another described brain fog as “an inability to settle to work and apparently endless procrastination. Once I’ve started I’m fine. But it can take all morning!”

Validating our experiences

The great sadness is that women can begin to feel invisible. The lack of understanding about how our bodies actually work and the cultural response that either ignores or minimises brain fog, reducing it to something only worthy of a laugh, can mean that women would rather just put up and shut up than seek the vital help and support they need.

Such help can be very hard to find too.  

Dr Lisa Mosconi, a neuroscientist and author of The Menopause Brain (Allen & Unwin), has found that women’s brains go through three very distinct stages of rewiring in puberty, pregnancy and perimenopause. Through brain imaging before and after menopause she has identified that there is a 30 per cent reduction in brain energy after menopause. Mosconi explains in her book that this isn’t a deficiency and doesn’t signal cognitive decline, but is a sign of menopause. It explains why we may struggle with our energy levels. What the research is highlighting is that oestrogen decline impacts our brains too.

Dr Mosconi explains that this research validates women’s experiences of brain symptoms, saying “women are not making this up”. These things are real and there’s good reason for them. Now we know what’s happening in the brain this gives us the ability to ensure women get the treatments that work. She describes menopause as a “renovation project on the brain” that has many gifts once we’re through the perimenopause phase, which certainly can have its ups and downs!

Dr Mosconi explains that the gifts are that once we have transitioned through we have greater peace of mind, develop emotional mastery (I’m looking forward to that one), greater empathy, care less what others think and overall report having higher levels of life contentment.

There is hope! 

Awareness and attitude

So now we know we’re not going mad and we’re not making it up, we can do something about it. We can help those around us to understand, so they can become our allies and challenge poor attitudes too. If we are frustrated by our energy levels compared to when we were in our 20s or 30s we may need to accept things are different and prioritise self-care to stay productive, healthy and well. In terms of managing the brain fog symptoms the advice is the same as for physical symptoms: look at your lifestyle, which means – nutrition, exercise, prioritising good sleep, self-care and reducing stress levels. Research hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and talk to your GP about it to decide whether that is right for you. This will all help to make a positive difference as you navigate this whole-body experience and will contribute to good future health too.  

Too many women become undermined by these symptoms of menopause, causing them to feel they have to ‘hide away’, step back, aside or out of their beloved careers. As we navigate this ‘renovation project’ on our brains we may no longer be reproductive, but this doesn’t mean we can’t be productive.  

We may no longer be reproductive, but this doesn’t mean we can’t be productive

As a finance director recently told me: “I’m so glad we’re talking about this at work. If we weren’t and I hadn’t been able to talk to my CEO about my struggles I would’ve been signed off for two weeks with stress! That would’ve cost the organisation thousands of pounds. As it is, I’m more aware and can get the right help and support and not feel I have to hide away.”

May our attitude towards menopause be aligned with the words of Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future” (NLT). There is hope and strength to be found. If you feel like you’re going crazy, that you need to hide away, are undermined or hopeless please don’t stop there. Remember: menopause is a whole-body experience, what you’re experiencing is real and there are things you can do that will help.

Coaching for brain fog 

If you’re struggling with the brain fog symptoms of menopause then Jo offers ‘Leading through the Fog’, a group coaching programme helping you navigate menopause with knowledge and confidence. She also offers one-to-one menopause coaching. Contact Jo for more information here: jo@courage-coaching.co.uk or courage-coaching.co.uk. Connect with Jo on Insta: @courage_coaching and also on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/joibbott/