To worry about losing words and phrases?

[mikado1]

I had hormones checked as part of blood tests and was told I'm nowhere near menopause. That was 6m ago. I'm 45 and have noticed in recent months that I'm finding it hard to grab v basic words and finding it hard to finish phrases eg 'living life on the ...... 40 seconds later... the edge' Also have tripped on surnames of one or two, I don't know them well but I do know their full names, if that makes sense.

Is this menopause coming or could it be more sinister? A bit frightened and hoping for reassurance.

This sounds like it could be vitamin b12 deficiency. Have you had a test for it?

Another example yesterday was 'Well it can't do any.... it can't.. be wrong, cause blame..' Friend said 'Can't do any harm' And I eyerolled at myself but felt quite worried.

A lot of women struggle with this during peri. Obviously talk to your doctor but I wouldn't be overly concerned.

Ooh I was low but not deficient years ago but upped it quickly with supplements, and actually eat a lot of B12 foods. I wonder did they test for that in those bloods. I think they did but thank you, will check and have my supplement that I rarely take so I'll try that.

Thank you. I thought it was more forgetting things rather than words in menopause. That's reassuring. I have no other symptoms.

Obviously I can’t say what is causing this in your case but practically every woman I know of around this age is struggling like this, myself included. I’m fine typing, I understand everything I read, but I really battle to produce the right nouns when I’m speaking, and also sometimes find it hard to organise my thoughts in a coherent way when I’m trying to explain something. Sometimes I’m convinced I have premature dementia - if it wasn’t that so many friends are in the same situation, I’d be extremely concerned. I’m menopausal and also have B12 deficiency. Did they test you for deficiencies like B12 or thyroid conditions when you had hormone tests?

The blood tests are not always accurate.
I was told that my hormone levels were fine. But then a few months later my periods stopped for good.
During perimenopause hormone levels are up and down so if the blood test was carried out when your hormones levels happened to be high, the test would be read as not being menopausal.

Just to add, going through menopause I actually feel like I have dementia at times!

Really the only fairly reliable rest of impending menopause is an AMH test to check for ovarian insufficiency. It’s not available on the NHS but not too expensive if you pay privately.

Weirdly I have very little problem remembering verbs - it’s always the nouns, and my friends seem to be the same.

That's all great info. Yes they definitely tested for thyroid. I have regular, like clockwork periods still but I'll be getting bloods done again soon enough (high cholesterol) so maybe I'll be consistent with the B12 and see how I go.

For me it seems to be the end of the phrase so I feel foolish then searching for the lost word. Interesting about reading etc.

Thanks again to all. My Ddad had dementia so of course I'm already heightened to that possibility some day. I've taken my b12 today, will keep an eye and speak to doc when I get bloods done in next month or so.

I experienced similar and was having regular B12 shots for an ongoing issue. It turned out my ferritin levels were depleted but the test for this is separate to a full blood count. My GP prescribed ferrous sulphate which made such a difference to my cognitive function and energy levels.

I’m on HRT and perimenopausal and definitely struggle with brain fog, words, names, phrases. Went to work with both mine and my DH’s car keys yesterday having just picked them both up without realising. Or forgetting what I’m saying or what I’m doing. I have dementia in my family so I do worry it’s more than just menopause. Bit glum making sometimes.

Peri definitely did this for me. Now you're 45, NICE guidelines state that any woman over the age of 45 presenting with peri symptoms should be offered hrt in the first instance. No blood tests or anything else required.

Read widely and keep your vocabulary exercised!

I feel like this too.
Sadly, it never really improved after menopause. I have wondered if it is because I couldn't take HRT under the guide lines at the time. ( pre existing health conditions and relatively early menopause).
Saying that, I do notice it in my peer group too.

If you have a vitamin deficiency it could be because you are eating enough but having trouble absorbing it. So it would be worth getting both your vitamin B12 and D checked.

I'm 47 and on HRT. got referred to the memory clinic and they did a scan which showed some early brain atrophy, it is mild but they are saying out of proportion for her age, so I'm worried. Also have a family history of dementia and been tested for the APOE4 gene.

So, I guess get it checked out if it is worrying you.

Also they checked things like B12 and mine was fine. They do it as part of the memory checks

Does that actually work on menopause brain fog? I read extremely widely and have a very large vocabulary but I still struggle for the right word often - and that’s not a vocab issue because sometimes the word I’m looking for is ‘oven’ or ‘drawer’, rather than something esoteric.

I think it must. I'm an academic, and the one thing I absolutely can't do while continuing to perform my job competently is suddenly forget character names, novel titles etc in the middle of a lecture or seminar. Friends continually complain of menopause brain fog, but it's not something that appears to have affected me at all at 52, so I can only assume something is preventing it, like the knowledge that I can't suddenly say 'Uh, you know, Whatshisface in that novel, you know the guy who hangs puppies and digs up his foster's sister's corpse...? Anyone?' 😀

Or perhaps you are just lucky?
I read all of the time and don't have problems with anything literary, but if I'm speaking about normal everyday stuff, then I frequently end up replacing nouns with something else (always with the same number if syllables though, Eg if I'm trying to say 'Put it in the dishwasher' I might end up saying 'Put it in the oven glove'). I know I'm doing it, it's not that I'm confused, but I just can't remember the word at the time.

See I would disagree here. Menopause symptoms can be so vague that I’d worry any woman over the age of 45 will be sent away with HRT, possibly delaying investigations into more serious issues.

for example, I’m 50 but not menopausal. Periods still regular as clockwork. My symptoms probably could be assigned to menopause- exhaustion, brain fog, headaches, palpitations, low mood. Fortunately I was correctly diagnosed with fairly serious anaemia, along with vit D and B deficiencies. 3 weeks on supplements and I feel good again. Had I been sent away with HRT and no other investigations I’d still be feeling shit and getting nothing done.

women have it hard enough being taken seriously in the medical world. Putting anything and everything down to menopause post 45 and given HRT will mean more late diagnoses and increase morbidity and mortality.

Well good for you. I have a doctorate and work with academics, and as I stated above, I read constantly and widely, and have an extensive vocabulary. Yet I still struggle sometimes, and as I also mentioned, at times to produce familiar everyday words. Practically every woman I know in their forties or fifties has experienced the same thing. I think you’ve actually just been lucky to avoid brain fog rather than done anything to prevent it. Or maybe you just haven’t got there yet and it’ll happen in the future. 🤷‍♀️