Have I got dementia or menopause?

Have I got dementia or menopause? 

What the hell is their name?! Can anyone else relate to this question? I would say this happens several times a day! People I have known for a long time and it’s like their name has completely been erased from my memory.  

I can also be mid prep for dinner and stop and think what was the next step? Or where did I put that onion?! 

It’s becoming a standard joke in our house; however, it's starting not to be funny anymore and I have even questioned if I'm starting to lose it! It can also be highly embarrassing when faced with a person and I can’t for the life of me remember their name, even though it’s on the tip of my tongue.  

Why can’t I remember anything?  

Again, those delightful hormones are at work again. The decline in progesterone and oestrogen are attributed to impacts on a women's mental clarity. ‘Brain fog’ is suggested to affect two thirds of women.  

During peri-menopause your oestrogen and progesterone levels drop intermittently. The decline is as a result of the body producing less and less eggs.   

One study I came across suggested there is significant evidence that women's cognition declines during peri-menopause. With another study suggesting the decline of cognition is in the processing speed.  

Oestrogen stimulates the brain connections and cell growth, it’s suggested that as the oestrogen declines so does the brain function. And according to the big wide web, testosterone is responsible for supporting mental sharpness and strengthening arteries to support blood flow, which might impact memory loss as this hormone's dips during your peri-menopausal years.  

Difference between dementia and menopause? 

I came across a great article that differentiated the difference between memory lapses as a result of peri-menopause and when to worry that those symptoms could be something more worrying. Of course, as I am not a medical expert merely a ranging hormonal woman, I do urge you to speak with your doctor if your worries.  

When to seek medical support for memory issues 

• repeating questions or comments 
• forgetting how to use common objects 
• being unable to understand or follow directions 
• forgetting common words 
• getting lost in places you know well 
• having trouble carrying out basic daily activities 

To conclude, I currently don’t suffer with any of the above symptoms so I will just put it down to yet another challenge of being at this stage in my life. These are the observations I have noticed affect me.  

• Lack of sleep defiantly makes this worse.  
• Stress, for me, can be debilitating and having a full head that it overwhelmed can sometimes limit my ability to hold a full conversation.  
• I am defiantly worse around certain days within my cycle. I have started recording these on an app in a bid to work out the root causes for me.  

I continue to try and exercise, something I know is so good for the brain. I would try the odd sudoku but having Dyscalculia makes this almost impossible. I’m an avid reader and my daughter and I love a game of scrabble, so I'm hoping those memory exercises keep my brain strong.  

And of course, tea plays a huge part in my life. I would recommend my energise blend as a great option to keeping the mind sharp without the need for caffeine.