Are you having trouble remembering your keys? Or your appointments? Or why you walked into a room?
Memory loss can be a symptom of perimenopause. This might leave you wondering, what are the underlying causes of memory loss during perimenopause, and what can you do?
The issue of memory loss as a perimenopause symptom has received a lot of attention lately. From Shelley Emling on the Huffington Post to a recent article in Scientific American reporting on a recent study that documents memory loss during menopause. But what causes the memory loss in the first place?
During perimenopause, when estrogen levels drop, the neurotransmitters in your brain are affected. Dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, neurotransmitters that regulate mood, thinking and memory, are all influenced by this decline in estrogen. Even your ability to manage stress is influenced by these neurotransmitters.
The connections between these various systems can be referred to as the HPA – Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis. A lot of syllables to say your hormones and nerve chemistry influence each other. When your neurotransmitters levels are low your body recruits your adrenal glands. Adrenal stress can also contribute to memory problems during perimenopause.
Dr. Marina Rose, who practices in Los Altos, CA, has found that doing a neurotransmitter assessment on women who are struggling with periminopause symptoms can lead to great improvement in memory and issues of foggy thinking.
If you’re struggling with memory, mood and foggy thinking ask your health care provider for a simple saliva and urine test you can do at home to find out what your neurotransmitter levels are. Or click here for a Free 20 Minute Discovery Session with Dr. Rose.
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