Consider a 47-year-old Dr. May (a fictional character for our plot), who is busy with their to-do list, their phone will not stop buzzing, and Dr. May cannot quite remember the name of the patient they just spoke to two minutes ago. Dr May sighs and wonders if they are just tired.
The truth is, this might be more than just fatigue.
Welcome to menopause brain — a foggy, frustrating phase that far too many women experience in silence, especially those who work in demanding roles such as caregiving.
At PERMA Integrated Health, we focus on actionable content related to meaning, vitality, and resilience, not as nice-to-haves, but as necessities. Women, as caregivers who give to others constantly, including understanding the mental, emotional, and hormonal shifts of menopause, must learn to support not just others but themselves.
What Is “Menopause Brain”?
“Menopause brain” refers to a cluster of cognitive symptoms that often arise during perimenopause and menopause, including:
- Brain fog
- Memory lapses
- Difficulty concentrating
- Word-finding issues
- Mental fatigue
These are just to name a few. These changes are a result of natural hormonal shifts (Berent-Spillson et al., 2015). As levels of estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol fluctuate during perimenopause and menopause, they can affect how your brain functions, particularly the areas responsible for memory and focus (Mosconi, 2024).
For women in professions where presence, precision, and empathy are required, like clinicians, therapists, nurses, social workers, or community carers, this can feel a bit unsettling (Metcalf et al., 2023).
Why It Hits Care Providers Harder
Women in care roles often do two full-time jobs — the one they are paid for, and the one they are expected to do out of love:
- Supporting patients
- Counselling families
- Mentoring junior staff
- Checking in on colleagues
- Running the household
- Caring for children or ageing parents
Suddenly, menopause creeps in. With its mood swings, sleep disturbances, and mental haze, often uninvited, often unacknowledged.
The danger? These women are so used to pushing through and being the strong one that they:
- Do not recognise what is happening
- Do not seek help
- Or worse they blame themselves
This is not just burnout. This is a biological transition layered on top of chronic emotional labour.
Signs You Might Be Experiencing Menopause Brain
Question yourself:
Are you re-reading the same paragraph multiple times?
- Forgetting appointments or feeling mentally slower?
- Feeling less confident in meetings or clinical handovers?
- Constantly doubting yourself even when others see you as competent?
If yes, this may be your body’s way of asking you to pause, recalibrate, and receive the same care you so generously offer others.
Practical Strategies to Support Your Menopause Brain (And Sanity)
- Honour Your Sleep Like a Sacred Ritual
Perimenopause messes with melatonin, increases cortisol, and can wreck sleep quality (Jehan et al., 2017).
- Instead of brushing it off, prioritise sleep as medicine.
- Avoid screens before bed
- If needed, speak to a specialist about therapy or non-hormonal sleep support
- Fuel Your Brain (Not Just Your Shift)
Focus on:
- Colourful veggies (think brain-protective antioxidants)
- Whole grains and protein to keep blood sugar stable
- Hydration, especially if you are losing fluids through hot flushes
- Be Strategic With Your Schedule
- You may not be at your sharpest at 6 am anymore. That is okay.
- Schedule cognitively demanding tasks when your mind is clearest
- Use tools like colour-coded calendars, checklists, and voice notes
- Embrace “brain offloading” to avoid mental overload (Morrison and Richmond, 2020)
This is not about working less, but it is about working differently.
- Move to Clear the Fog
Even short bursts of movement can sharpen memory and lift your mood.
- A 20-minute walk between appointments
- 10 minutes between clients
- Dancing in your kitchen while the kettle boils
Exercise does not need to be intense. It just needs to exist.
- Find Hormonal Balance That Works for You
Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT (Gu et al., 2024)is not for everyone, but for many it is life-changing. Others prefer:
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques
- Breathwork
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia
- Environmental and Lifestyle Therapies (Forest bathing etc)
The key is informed choice. Speak to someone who truly understands midlife women’s health, not someone who dismisses you as “just hormonal.”
- Practice Self-Compassion (The Way You Would with a Patient)
You would never call a patient weak for needing support. So why judge yourself?
Remember:
- You are not failing instead you are adapting
- You are not forgetful, but you are transitioning
- You are not alone; rather, you are part of a global sisterhood navigating this together
How to Support Another Care Provider Going Through Menopause Brain
Women helping women is one of the most powerful forms of medicine. If you are in a team, practice, or informal circle with someone showing signs of menopause brain, here is how to gently support her:
- Create Safe Conversations
Say things like:
- “You seem a bit foggy lately. I have been there. Want to talk?”
- “I read this thing about menopause brain. It explained so much!”
- “Just checking in — how’s your sleep/mood/energy lately?”
Often, all she needs is permission to stop pretending.
- Share, do not Lecture
Instead of advising, share your own experience.
“I was forgetting names constantly, and it turned out it was perimenopause.”
“I found that changing my shift schedule helped.”
Normalize, do not medicalize.
- Offer Tangible Help to your Colleague
- Swap a shift so she can rest
- Forward her a podcast or article (like this one!)
- Invite her for a walk-and-talk
- Encourage her to book that health appointment she has been putting off
Sometimes, it is the smallest acts that change someone’s trajectory.
- Advocate in Your Workplace
Menopause is still taboo in many professional environments.
Use your voice:
- Push for flexible hours, wellness days, and temperature control
- Suggest menopause training for staff
- Champion mental health resources that include midlife support
When we advocate for one, we uplift many.
You Deserve to Feel Clear, Strong and Supported
Menopause brain does not mean your brilliance has faded. It just means your brain is shifting and asking for more rest, rhythm, and respect.
Let us normalise this season and be the ones who talk about it, laugh about it, and support each other through it.
We cannot afford to lose the wisdom, skill, and compassion of women like you, not to brain fog, not to silence, and definitely not to shame.
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🌿 Menopause Brain First-Aid Kit
For Women Who Care for Others and Need to Remember Themselves
👩🏽⚕️ WHO IS THIS FOR?
- Midlife care providers (clinicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, etc.)
- Women experiencing brain fog, memory lapses, overwhelm, or cognitive dips
- Anyone in perimenopause or menopause trying to keep showing up — but running on empty
🧠 CORE SYMPTOMS OF ‘MENOPAUSE BRAIN’
✅ Brain fog
✅ Word-finding difficulty
✅ Forgetfulness
✅ Lack of focus or mental stamina
✅ Mental fatigue (especially later in the day)
✅ Decreased confidence in your own clarity
If you nodded at 3 or more — this kit is for you.
🧰 YOUR FIRST-AID TOOLS
🛌 1. Sleep as Medicine
- ☑ Keep your room cool (ideal: 16–18°C)
- ☑ No screens 90 mins before bed
- ☑ White noise/blackout curtains
- ☑ Consider speaking to your GP about HRT or sleep-specific support
Mantra: “Rest is not a luxury — it’s a neurological necessity.”
🥦 2. Brain-Friendly Nutrition
- ☑ Start your day with protein (eggs, nuts, yogurt)
- ☑ Eat omega-3s 3x/week (salmon, flax, chia)
- ☑ Balance blood sugar — no skipping meals
- ☑ Reduce caffeine after 1 PM
- ☑ Hydrate: 1.5–2L water daily
Snack idea: Almonds + blueberries = memory fuel
🧘🏽♀️ 3. Mind-Body Reset
- ☑ 10 mins of guided breathwork or meditation daily
- ☑ 5-10 minutes of movement every few hours
- ☑ Yoga Nidra once a week (30–40 min deep reset) (Gulia and Sreedharan, 2023; Jha et al., 2023)
- ☑ Laugh with someone — daily
Try this: Alternate nostril breathing for 3 minutes to calm your nervous system.
🗂 4. Memory & Task Hacks
- ☑ Use voice notes to capture thoughts
- ☑ Break tasks into micro-steps
- ☑ Colour-coded to-do lists
- ☑ Post-its or dry erase markers on your mirror
- ☑ Digital calendar with 2 reminders per event
Reminder: Systems do not mean weakness, they mean freedom.
🌱 5. Hormonal Support Pathway
Explore with a trusted practitioner:
- ☑ Blood tests to check hormone levels
- ☑ HRT (combined or bioidentical, if appropriate)
- ☑ Herbal support (if appropriate)
- ☑ Acupuncture or craniosacral therapy (if appropriate)
- ☑ Midlife functional medicine consult
Note: There is no shame in getting support. It’s how you stay strong.
🤝 6. Peer-to-Peer Care
You do not have to go it alone. Consider:
- ☑ Swapping stories with another care provider
- ☑ Asking a colleague to “cover” on foggy days
- ☑ Mentoring someone through their symptoms
- ☑ Starting a 15-minute “midlife circle” at work
- ☑ Sharing this checklist with a friend
Quote to Share: “Strong women do not compete. They co-regulate.”
📓 7. 3-Minute Daily Check-In (PERMA-Style)
Use these prompts each evening:
🧘 How did I feel physically and mentally today?
💬 Did I connect meaningfully with anyone?
🎯 What one thing tomorrow could support my clarity or energy?
💛 What did I do today that was for me?
Even tiny moments of self-check-in create long-term clarity.
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References
- Berent-Spillson, A., Briceno, E., Pinsky, A., Simmen, A., Persad, C.C., Zubieta, J.-K., Smith, Y.R., 2015. Distinct cognitive effects of estrogen and progesterone in menopausal women. Psychoneuroendocrinology 59, 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.020
- Gu, Y., Han, F., Xue, M., Wang, M., Huang, Y., 2024. The benefits and risks of menopause hormone therapy for the cardiovascular system in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Womens Health 24, 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02788-0
- Gulia, K.K., Sreedharan, S.E., 2023. Yoga Nidra, a Nonpharmacological Technique in Management of Insomnia and Overall Health in Postmenopausal Women. Sleep Med. Clin. 18, 463–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsmc.2023.06.007
- Jehan, S., Jean-Louis, G., Zizi, F., Auguste, E., Pandi-Perumal, S.R., Gupta, R., Attarian, H., McFarlane, S.I., Hardeland, R., Brzezinski, A., 2017. Sleep, Melatonin, and the Menopausal Transition: What Are the Links? Sleep Sci. Sao Paulo Braz. 10, 11–18. https://doi.org/10.5935/1984-0063.20170003
- Jha, K., Kumar, P., Kumar, Y., Ganashree, C.P., Tripathi, C., Shrikant, B.K., 2023. The Effectiveness of Rajyoga Meditation as an Adjuvant for Panic Anxiety Syndrome. Int. J. Yoga 16, 116–122. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_149_23
- Metcalf, C.A., Duffy, K.A., Page, C.E., Novick, A.M., 2023. Cognitive Problems in Perimenopause: A Review of Recent Evidence. Curr. Psychiatry Rep. 25, 501–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01447-3
- Morrison, A.B., Richmond, L.L., 2020. Offloading items from memory: individual differences in cognitive offloading in a short-term memory task. Cogn. Res. Princ. Implic. 5, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-019-0201-4
- Mosconi, L., 2024. The Menopause Brain: The New Science Empowering Women to Navigate Midlife with Knowledge and Confidence, 1st ed. ed. Allen & Unwin, London.