Where did I PUT MY KEYS?

How menopause rewires the brain - and how to reclaim your sharpness during the transition

- by LISA ABDELLAH

Have you picked up your phone only to forget why you needed it in the first place? Perhaps you've had a word, name or phrase on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn't recall it. While historically, menopause was associated only with the ovaries, it’s now understood not just as a reproductive health event, a ‘natural’ process to endure, but a critical transition that affects nearly every organ system, including the brain, and requires appropriate medical interventions.

THE CHANGE

A French Physician, Charles-Pierre-Louis de Gardanne, coined the term menopause in the 1800s. Medical interest increased considerably in the mid-19th century, and in the '70s, the International Menopause Society (IMS) was established to connect experts and medical societies from over 95 countries. Today, there are many similar organisations worldwide, and collectively, they provide unbiased, scientific and up-to-date information on the menopause transition for professionals and the public.

It’s been an uphill battle. Numerous factors have delayed our understanding of the menopause-brain connection. But to sum it up, Dr Sibongile Mashaphu, a specialist psychiatrist with a PhD in mental health, says, ‘It's due to a combination of systemic, cultural and scientific factors, frequently summarised as the intersection of sexism and ageism in medical research.

‘Many years ago, clinicians would use the term "Whining Woman Syndrome" to dismiss, minimise or label as “exaggeration” women’s complex, multi-symptom complaints, particularly those of perimenopause or menopause, such as cognitive deficits, which don't immediately show up on lab tests. This systemic bias, often rooted in training, leads to delayed diagnosis for issues including fatigue, poor memory, insomnia and pain.’