Posted on 12/24/2018 5:34:36 AM PST by reaganaut1
...
Dr. Devi told me that “60 percent of women go through menopause-related cognitive impairment” that, when serious enough to be brought to medical attention, is too often misdiagnosed as “mild cognitive impairment,” a precursor to dementia.
Menopause-related cognitive symptoms are very similar to “chemo brain,” a common complaint among women treated for breast cancer and in some men treated for prostate cancer. Treatment of both diseases often results in an abrupt drop in estrogen levels.
People with so-called brain fog following cancer treatment “have trouble with short-term memory, multitasking, coming up with words and putting cogent thoughts together,” said Dr. Devi, an attending neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and clinical professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
“Menopause-related cognitive impairment happens to women in their 40s and 50s, women in the prime of life who suddenly have the rug pulled out from under them,” she said. Yet, she believes, the correct diagnosis is missed more often than not.
“Women with menopause-related cognitive impairment are afraid they’re developing some form of dementia, but if they go to a memory disorder specialist, they may not get the right diagnosis,” Dr. Devi said in an interview. Internists may check for thyroid disease, a vitamin deficiency or infection, but rarely connect the woman’s menstrual history to her cognitive symptoms, she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Well that explains i....
Wait, what were we talking about? (And here I thought is was the Chardonnay)
The 40s and 50s are when many people peak in their careers. I wonder if menopause-related cognitive decline could explain why women are “under-represented” at the top of many professions. Of couse, even asking this question is very un-PC. According to the article, the cognitive decline can be treated with estrogen, which is good news.
It’s the Chardonnay and a reaction to the herd of cats in the home. I believe Meredith Baxter Birney movies also cause brain fog... :)
When any given individual in any mammalian species ceases to be fertile, nature has a way of saying goodbye.
I went with my wife to see “Menopause”, and while I wasn’t looking forward to it (I figured it would be a strictly man-bashing thing) I was pleasantly surprised to find it really wasn’t.
I found it humorous, because there is a scene where a high-powered professional woman has her mind go completely blank, her eyes and her face go completely empty!
It was funny to me, because I work with a woman who is a close friend, a few years older than me, and we were in an important meeting one day. I was sitting across the table from her in this big meeting, and someone asked her a question. As I watched her face as she prepared to answer, I saw that look that actress in “Menopause” had...
She opened her mouth to speak, and as if a switch had been turned off, her mouth froze, her bright blue eyes suddenly became completely vacant, and she had the appearance of a PC that was in need of a reboot!
Like a fish out of water, her mouth twitched a little, opened a little like she was going to say something, closed, opened again, then she shook her head and said quickly “Could you repeat that question?”
I don’t think anyone noticed but me, but when I saw “Menopause” some years later, the look was exactly the same that my friend had on her face!
I told her about it, and the funny thing was, she remembered that incident perfectly, and was amazed that I did too. She rolled her eyes,and admitted in retrospect she thought it was pretty funny! She said her mind went completely blank in mid thought.
Sigh. At least women have something to blame it on. That happens to me all the time, and I just have to blame it on me.
The article goes on to explain that the “brain fog” (if/when there is one) is a temporary phase, resolving itself once the brain adjusts to lower estrogen levels.
A simple estrogen patch applied every three days should clear this up.
“60 percent of women go through menopause-related cognitive impairment”
I thought that menopause hit women a lot later than their first year of college (particularly the private ones, where they live on campus).
Really wonder how long in hunter/gatherer clans women who did not have children and were no longer fertile survived. If they did, suspect they were little more than slaves. Well given the embrace of feminism, which at its core is an anti fertility cult, and the actual scarcity of live births especially among young white women, look to the past and the future will become clear.
I am not a real fan of hormone supplementation. My wife was treated with estrogen to help with various menopause related symptoms. She later developed breast cancer. While there are plenty of doctors who tout the safety of hormone supplementation, you's be hard pressed to find an oncologist who does. IMO, when the body starts running low on hormones, it is for a reason. That's the way God/Mother Nature planned it.
Any male divorcee in his 40's or 50's already knew this and didn't need a doctor to tell us this.
“According to the article, the cognitive decline can be treated with estrogen, which is good news.”
Is there any drug...besides alchohol...for men during this time?
“She said her mind went completely blank in mid thought.”
Just about everyone’s minds go blank during “important meetings”. You learn how to sleep with your eyes open,
LOL, I have been trying to avoid that...but not fully successfully!
The prevalence of conference calling makes it even harder! And I know for a fact, I am not the only one!
It does cause a problem, especially in some jobs where numbers are important, like writing down phone numbers (receptionist) and amounts of money (receptionist, finance, retail). There is also some forgetfulness of general things and words). Menopause causes reversing of numbers all the time.
I think women are fired for those mistakes that they cannot help. I was at a job orientation (major tax prep company) and a woman WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, was berating other women for the number reversal issue.
In addition to brain fog from menopause there is “fibro fog” from stress and fibromyalgia. I bet they are all linked. Thyroid and epstein barr virus (which many many people have) are also culprits.
I blame mine on stress. The more stress the more we are easily distracted by what is stressful. Concentration is really hard...focus focus focus. As I procrastinate
Since I have a “mild” case of breast cancer I have to cooperate with stripping estrogen out of my body.
“I blame mine on stress.”
Agree. Even “good” stress. When I retired, it was such a shock to my routine, accomplishments, etc., that I went in to a retard funk. Thought I was losing my mind. After six months, all was back to normal.
Same thing happened to DH when he retired. A six-month fog, then OK.
My friend passed away last month after losing a long fight with cancer, and whose hubby was the principal caregiver. After the funeral her husband told me he was afraid he’s getting dementia because he was forgetful and couldn’t concentrate. We told to hang in there and see how he was doing in a few months before panicking. I think he’ll be fine.
If we send estrogen patches to congress will it help their chemo brain?.
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