A common concern during menopause is how it effects memory.  Science is not always clear as to what changes are from menopause and what is from aging.  Further complicating the issue is the significant effect of sleep and mood on our memory abilities.  Has menopause effected your memory?

The third and final lecture in the HFHS Neuroscience Institute’s “Program for Women- Science for a Healthy Brain” on October 30 was well attended by about 100 people.  Dr. Rhonna Shatz, board certified by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, spoke about how memory worked.  She reassured the audience that most concerns about memory have more to do with normal lapses in attention than with serious memory disorders.  For example, it is normal to temporarily forget a person’s name but not normal if one cannot remember the name or the person later.  It is normal to forget for a moment where you are going but not normal to forget how to get home and start to restrict your driving routes.  Other symptoms of dementia include frequent hesitations in word finding or using improper substitutions; frequent errors or extreme slowness in number calculations and forgetting to pay bills; marked and sudden changes in personality or tiring of hobbies with no interest in new pursuits. 

We process different types of memories in different parts of our brains.  Parkinson’s disease effects procedural memory or the ability to remember how to do things.  Alzheimer’s disease effects associative memory or the ability to remember facts or put whole memories together.  Both diseases cause dementia, just different kinds.

Dr. Shatz pointed out that since estrogen is a significant hormone in processing memory, the decrease during menopause certainly may effect memory.  Hmm-the estrogen-memory connection may explain a lot about men, birthdays and anniversaries. Do you think so?  Anyway, mental-pause, as I have heard it refered to, may not be all in our heads.  But in research studies, scores on memory tests do not significantly decrease after menopause.  This suggests that the brain, just like other processes in our body adjust to the changing hormones.   Memory loss is not an inevitable consequence of aging.  Memory declines are largely effected by health.  Since health risks increase with age so do risks for memory disorders.  Health problems which increase risk for memory problems are obesity, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.  Lifestyle issues which increase risk for memory problems are lack of sleep, lack of exercise and poor diet. 

 Dr. Shatz was very adamant about the delirious effects of anticholinergic medications on memory and advised avoiding them if possible.  Examples of these are some allergy medications and treatments for active bladder.  She advised talking to your doctor about substitutes.  Also, not surprisingly smoking and alcohol intake is not good.

There are many things we can do to preserve our memory abilities.  Prompt diagnosis and proper management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and depression is so important. Weight management is also very crucial in good brain function. As with so many other health issues, exercise, diet and stress management is key.    Dr. Shatz recommends one hour of aerobic exercise per day.  A diet rich in antioxidants keeps the brain healthy.  Good foods for this include almonds, apples, bluberries, broccoli, grapes, red beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, wheat germ.  The yummy good news is the great benefit of  dark chocolate (milk chocolate doesn’t work).  Maintain good sleep hygiene (see 10/  entry).  Finally, it is recommended to stay engaged in life, maintain social contact with others and to continue to learn and try new things.

Everything seems to be related to everything else.  We expand on this whole theme with this month’s Menopause Support Group Meeting on Wednesday, November 12. Topic- “Screaming Meemees and Other Stress Management Techniques”.  What tried and true methods for coping with the holidays would you like to share?

written by Deborah McBain, CNM MSN