PERIMENOPAUSEAND FORGETFULNESS
Dr Steven R. Goldstein, a Perimenopause Specialist NYC recalls the case of a forty six year old patient stating she would walk into a room and forget why she went there. Another time she was taking her daughter to the pediatrician, who had moved to a new building, so she had to look up his name on the directory. She blanked on his name. Completely forgot. Couldn’t even remember what letter it started with.
What causes a forty six year old woman to forget like this? Is it anxiety? Nervousness is one reason people have bouts of forgetfulness, as when you suddenly forget everything you wanted to say because you’re so anxious when you’re called upon to speak to a group.
Be aware that the use of tranquilizers including Valium or Xanax and sleeping pills have side effects that include loss of memory. If you’re confused as well as forgetful, doctors will rule out brain tumors, head injuries, and very poor nutrition. These diagnoses are very rare for women
in a perimenopausal range (early to late forties, and in some cases as early as late thirties). They are included here to not to scare you, but to alert you to the fact that many women have been to the neurologist, psychiatrist, and allergist before they finally reach the gynecologist.
Although it’s natural for our ability to retrieve information to slow down with age, it’s unlikely that an otherwise healthy woman who can’t remember her child’s pediatrician’s name is experiencing premature dementia.
So, is it Perimenopause? Dr Goldstein, a Perimenopause Specialist NYCsays that forgetfulness is one of the most frequent complaints women have when their menstrual cycles first go awry (which is what happens during Perimenopause), but they don’t actually make the connection. The symptom can occur years before you stop having your period.
Medical science has yet to determine why fluctuating levels of estrogen (which occurs during Perimenopause) tend to cause women to have trouble with short term memory. Scientists know that the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory, is loaded with estrogen receptors. It is theorized that as estrogen levels begin to decrease, or to spike and drop, the brain cannot retrieve information as well.
These episodes can be frightening. Not being able to spell familiar words or to finish a train of thought can make you feel as if your mind is going. The incidents of forgetfulness can be bizarre.
Bringing your menstrual calendar into your doctor’s office and having a frank discussion about your general health, nutrition, and stress level can help you determine if your bouts of forgetfulness are the beginning of Perimenopause. If they are, realize you’re not developing Alzheimer’s disease. Your estrogen levels aren’t going to cause amnesia. But you may experience a lot of tip-of-the-tongue naming trouble. And you certainly are in the normal range if you find that you need to make lists to remember what groceries you need, if phone numbers and names are difficult to retrieve, and if trying to memorize a long list of just about anything becomes difficult and irritating.
Dr Steven R. Goldstein is a past president of the International Menopause Society, a Certified Menopause Practitioner and co author of the book “Could it be….Perimenopause?”. If you suspect you have Perimenopause, Dr Goldstein, a Perimenopause doctor in NYC is available for consultation at his office in Manhattan.