My memory is awful

[ForgettingMeNot]

I'm mid 50's menopausal and poor memory is part of the menopause I know, but I feel I'm worse than it should be.

I work full time and it's beginning to become a bit of an issue to me although no one at work has noticed so far as I've put in place as much in the way of reminders of things I need to do as I can. Ie my email inbox only contains items that still need attending too, and in that vein if I think of something I will email myself a one line reminder so it's very visible.

But if say I'm on my phone of an evening and think oh I must click on such a such website because I need to do/look up X, even if I finish what I was doing less than a minute later I will have forgotten what I wanted to do next. I know there's something I need to do but it's just gone. This happens multiple times a day, every day.

I've just lost my mum to Alzheimer's and there's a part of me that is concerned this is early onset dementia. I do suffer from fibromyalgia and I know there is fibro fog but this has crept up on me in the last year/18 months and in all honesty I do not have any other menopausal symptoms so I don't think it's caused by the menopause.

I know you'll all say visit your GP but she will do a memory test and tell me to remember some address and I know I will pass that test because I know I have to remember this but every day thoughts are not retained.

In essence I'm asking about your memory loss due to menopause please

I’m the same with not being able to think of a word when talking, but I feel this might have something to do with being alone a lot of the time so I don’t actually have proper conversations very often.

I’m pretty good at cryptic crosswords, scrabble and wordle, so it’s not like I don’t have the vocabulary; I just can’t get them out in speech.

I find it really annoying when I can’t remember what happened in books from day to day.

Feel a bit the same too 😞

@MagpiePi I also wondered the same, I live alone and spend a lot of time on my own which means that I don't have a proper conversation with people every day. I am always shocked when I am mid conversation and I cannot find a word that I want or remember the name of something. I also do a lot of reading and am now discovering that I can't actually remember whether I have read a book or not, if I am drawn to it on a shelf!

I know it! Changing from the gel to oral meds for hrt has definitely made an improvement.

I sometimes feel like my mouth is seizing up when I do have a conversation. Like all the speaking muscles are withering away.

I do try and talk to the cat, but he doesn’t have that much to say about domestic politics or the situation in the Middle East.

Please take memory-related issues seriously.

There is a significant and growing body of evidence highlighting the correlation between menopause, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease — particularly among women.

This is not something to be overlooked or dismissed.

I strongly encourage you to explore the Bredesen Protocol, a multifaceted approach to cognitive decline developed by Dr Dale Bredesen. His books are available on Amazon, offer insight into both the science and the practical application of his research.

I recommend visiting the website dedicated to ApoE4 gene carriers, as it provides in-depth resources tailored to individuals with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. Understanding your own risk — especially if you carry the ApoE4 gene — is crucial.

Link: https://forums.apoe4.info/viewtopic.php?t=557&start=140

Please take the time to read as widely as you can on the most current research.

Do not ignore or minimise early signs of memory challenges. Equip yourself with knowledge and take proactive steps. It could make all the difference.

Just to add: NHS is woefully inadequate in dealing with memory problems.

Do not rely on them.

Has anyone with ADHD found any solutions to this problem? Are you taking medication for that? HRT hasn’t helped the problem. It’s really badly affecting my life. I don’t trust myself to retain anything so my confidence is through the floor. I suspect regular vigorous exercise could help but I have chronic fatigue so getting out of breath daily would finish me off completely.

I’m a similar age, on hrt and have an under active thyroid and suffered in exactly the same way, but it’s massively improved since I started part time studies in October. I was concerned how my brain was going to deal with huge amounts of new information, but it appears that brain plasticity is a real thing and not only have I coped, my memory is so much better.

These are life changing. I also take lions mane. Try Landys online pharmacy.