Should You Worry That Your Menopause Brain Fog Is Dementia?
- Monigho Griffin
- Nov 4, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
I held onto a strong belief for many years,
It even caused me a lot of personal problems.
And I had to finally accept that I was wrong!
You see
I noticed that it was becoming more difficult to
Remember
Express myself
And focus
So, I self-diagnosed dementia.
I ‘managed’ the situation by not disclosing my news to family
in order to avoid distressing them
I isolated myself so it would be less likely that anyone would notice my symptoms.
I silently quit in my business the way an employee does when they no longer enjoy their work.
Low sales confirmed my belief:
“Maybe I am no longer capable of running a business.”
However, I soon found myself at a turning point that changed everything.
While I was aimlessly scrolling on the internet one day, I landed on a website that had a diagram of Perimenopause symptoms.
That day changed everything!
I discovered I did not have the life-changing/ending form of dementia,
but temporary condition of Peri/Menopause Brain Fog instead.
I instantly felt many years of stress and anxiety lift off my shoulders
So what is Menopause brain fog, What can help Menopause brain fog, Is it the same as dementia? Can you do anything to delay o prevent dementia in later life?
What is Menopause Brain Fog?
Menopause brain fog is a group of symptoms that happens around the time of perimenopause.
Difficulty remembering words and numbers,
disruptions in daily life (misplacing items like keys),
Trouble concentrating
Losing a train of thought (being more easily distracted),
Forgetting appointments and events.
Difficulty switching between tasks,
Forgetting the reason for doing something
Why does Menopause Brain Fog occur?
The hormone estrogen fluctuates on a downward trend and is responsible for hundreds of functions in the body.
This hormone also helps parts of the brain that control memory, like the hippocampus (which helps you remember things) and the prefrontal cortex (which helps you stay focused and make decisions).
So when estrogen drops, it can make it harder to remember words, names, or what someone just said .
The most common Perimenopause symptoms are:
Difficulty sleeping at 81%,
Difficulty concentrating at 75%,
Hot flushes & Night sweats at 72%
As per the respondents of 2,161
(as per the menopause in the Workplace Survey, House of Commons, Women and Equalities Committee 2021-2022) *
It is a common symptom, so if it is happening to you rest assured that you are normal, there is nothing wrong with you, you are experiencing a temporary perimenopause symptom.
What can you do to help manage your Menopause brain fog?
Perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping can exacerbate your menopause brain fog. Addressing those symptoms should help improve your brain fog, too.
Hormone replacement therapy that will be prescribed for other symptoms can help improve brain fog.
In any event, please do not give yourself a hard time.
We don’t expect an athlete to perform at their best if they have an injury, so accept that you will not either if you are in the middle of a menopausal brain fog episode.
So have realistic expectations, so do not refer to
or talk to yourself in negative or derogatory terms
Why do So Many Women Confuse Menopause Brain Fog With Dementia?
The table below will highlight the differences
Causes | Brain fog | Dementia |
Causes | Declining estradiol (E2) during the menopause transition likely contributes to changes in memory, which affects the ability to remember words, conversations, names, and things you hear or read. | Protein buid up in the brain that damages tissues and causes cells to die. Reduced oxygen from blocked arteries, causing brain damage, injury to front of brain which affects behaviour |
Age | occurs roughly in the 40s plus as a common perimenopause symptom. Even though many women feel their thinking worsens in midlife, most still do really well on brain tests. |
We want to reassure women that memory changes at menopause should not be confused with dementia and that dementia before age 64 is rare. https://bit.ly/3XK1GRy |
Gender | All women will go through menopause, but not all women will get dementia | In the UK, 65%of all people with dementia are women https://bit.ly/4s3ZGBN |
Symptoms | forgetting words, losing focus, misplacing items, missing appointments, or experiencing ADHD-like symptoms — often called “brain fog.” These symptoms can vary widely in how strong they feel from one person to another. | memory and thinking problems. frequent memory lapses, losing items, difficulty finding words, and changes in mood or decision-making. confusion, disorientation, language problems, and in people may lose awareness of their surroundings, need full support with daily care |
© 2025 Perimenopause Warriors. All rights reserved. |
“Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease depends on biological sex and geographical location, with higher rates among women than men and higher rates in Europe and North America than in Asia, Africa and South America”
https://www.imsociety.org/
What can you do to reduce your menopause brain fog as well as delay or prevent Dementia?
The number of people living with dementia was estimated to be close to one million in 2024 (982,000). By 2040, this figure is expected to rise to 1.4 million.**
As mentioned earlier, 65% of those with alzheimers are women.
Research is underway to determine why this is the case.
Some studies have
highlighted hormonal changes,
differences in the effects of high blood pressure
differences in physical activity levels
as potential contributors
However, the statistics may be worrying, but let's focus on what you can do to prevent or delay the dementia risk .
What are dementia risk factors?
There are a number of risk factors that may show up in midlife, ie 45 years plus that can increase dementia risk by 41-78%
These are:
obesity,
diabetes,
current smoker,
hypertension
high cholesterol.
So taking action and following the guidance to help improve these conditions will also delay or prevent dementia.
How to prevent or delay dementia
Ironically, the lifestyle changes that will help delay or prevent dementia will also help to reduce menopause brain fog
By
✔ Having sufficient Sleep
✔ Heart health = brain health.
Move to get your heart pumping (running, swimming, dancing, walking, cycling) aim for 150 mins per week
✔ Cut out sugary, fatty food, and replace it with more fruit and vegetables.
✔ During perimenopause, eat more phytoestrogen (plant estrogen) eg Soya products ie soya milk & soya beans (check with clinician for dietary restrictions)
✔ Reduce stressors
✔ Stop smoking & reduce alcohol intake
✔ Do not socially isolate yourself. Get involved with a community and or your family.
✔ Keep blood pressure around 120/80 mmHg
✔ Maintain a healthy weight (BMI 18.5–25)
✔ Keep the brain active by learning something new
Conclusion
Menopause brain fog is one of the most common perimenopause symptoms. It occurs because of declining estrogen. it does not necessarily lead to dementia.
There are lifestyle changes that you can take to help with brain fog today & also to delay or prevent dementia in later life.
If you would like a Free Ebook called Overcoming Anxiety in Perimenopause pick it up here
References
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