Menopause: When the brain suffers - women fight against the symptoms!

Menopause: When the brain suffers - women fight against the symptoms!

Universitätsklinik für Frauenheilkunde Bern, Schweiz - Menopause - a phase of life that is a real challenge for many women! While some women come through this time without any major problems, about 80 percent fight with annoying hot flashes. Studies show that 70 percent also suffer from depressive moods, sleep disorders and memory problems. These symptoms can not only accompany the menopause, but also remain far beyond.

neuroscientist Roberta Diaz Brinton from the University of Arizona explains: "All the symptoms of perimenopause have one thing together - they assume the brain." Perimenopause, which usually begins between the age of 40 and 55, is not only the end of reproductive ability, but also a neurological upheaval. In this phase, the estrogen level fluctuates strongly, which affects the cell metabolism in the brain and can lead to cognitive losses. Studies show that women in perimenopause often suffer from attention, motor skills and memory. "Many women report that they sometimes go to a room and no longer know why they actually came here," said the specialist Petra Stew.

The influence of estrogen

estrogen plays a central role in this process. The hormone, which is mainly produced in the ovaries, not only affects the menstrual cycle, but also numerous brain functions. During the menopause, the estrogen level drops, which leads to an imbalance that affects mental performance. In a study it was found that women met less glucose in the brain during perimenopause, which leads to a decline in the brain volume. The gray substance in the hippocampus and in the Amygdala shrinks, which seriously endangers mental health.

mental health also suffers. During menopause, the risk of depression increases by one and a half to three times. Hormonal fluctuations can promote depressive moods, and sleep disorders that occur in perimenopause in 40 to 60 percent of women. "Heat flashes are more connected to sleep disorders that also press the mood," explains Stute. Despite these challenges, there is hope: Most cognitive restrictions are weaning at the end of the menopause, and the mental fitness of women improves again.