Talk to me about brain fog please!

[newusern99]

So I know bran fog is common on peri/ menopause but is it just forgetfulness?
I have been suffering from a fuzzy head for the last few years but it is more the type of fuzzy head you get when you have a cold.
It tends to come on the day after exercise but it is getting worse in that the level of exercise can be very low level! It also can come on after eating.
I'm 45. Does this sound like it could get better if take HRT or do you think it is unrelated. There are other things it could be such as post exertional malaise (although didn't start after covid) or histamine issues/ MCAS.
I read a lot about people having brain fog with peri but can't work out if it is this kind of brain fog or whether it ever has the same triggers that I have.

Anyone?

I have brain fog in peri but mine doesn’t seem to have any triggers, do you have any other peri symptoms?

No other peri symptoms really except that my cycle can be ridiculously short at times (less than three weeks). Its hard to keep track of it though as I have a Mirena and don't always have any bleeding.

The brain fog seems to becoming more and more frequent with exercise being less of an obvious trigger. What does your brain fog feel like? Mine always starts after I get up in the morning but sometimes after eating.

It just feels like my head is fussy and hard to concentrate. I forget names and what I’m saying too, mine dosent really come and go but does appear worse when im
tired. I started HRT nearly 3 months ago and has really helped with night sweats and anxiety, not so much with brain fog but still early days.

My brain fog is the same as Christine0708.

I get the fuzzy cold brain when I'm stressed and it's because my blood pressure is through the roof.

Have you been to your GP for any tests?

Meant to add that peri brain fog seems to be feeling "not with it", a bit distracted and, yes, forgetful. It's hard to concentrate.

The other brain fog is a physical feeling like a pressure in my ears and sinuses.

Yes had loads of blood tests which are all normal. Also don't get high blood pressure at all. I'm going to go back to GP and see if there are any other tests they can do but it's possible its inflammation/ histamine/ MCAS/ PEM rather than peri.

Long COVID can definitely trigger that type of brain fog.
Mine to me just feels like my brain has departed - I was going out for coffee this morning and instead went on autopilot to school. It's the holidays. My memory is shot and I fluff my words consistently. (In surgical full menopause not peri)

I’ve just been talking about brain fog with my husband and I don’t really understand what it is.
Is it general forgetfulness, like I can’t articulate myself anymore because half of my vocabulary has gone missing? And inability to concentrate when reading or watching tv?
Or is it more physical than that? I currently feel, pretty much every day, the sort of fuzzyheadedness that I used to feel if I’d stayed up all night.
I also don’t have high blood pressure.

Before I started hrt the brain fog was talking to someone and telling a story or something and just forgetting what the hell I was talking about or not remembering the name of a film or an actor or something that I watched on tv the night before. My adult son used to look at me and say mum you are getting dementia as not like me at all. hrt has changed all that and thankfully as felt like I was losing the plot. Hope this helps.

@newusern99 A fuzzy unable to concentrate sort of brain fog can be caused by sugary foods. Something to do with changes in our insulin as we get older.

For brain fog I always recommend these multi guard vitamins. They've changed my life. And Lions Mane supplements. And lots and lots of VitD. We take way higher doses in France than in the UK.

Brain fog for me is remembering something that is important or you need to say and do. And you've forgotten what it was also immediately, before you've had time to to write it down despite having a pen and paper in your hands.

The brain fog you are describe does sound more like a histamine issue given its a physical feeling of fuzzy and the definate triggers. This is still a perimenopausal symtom though, its common for women to develop issues or allergies for the first time or existing issues to become worse in this stage. Afaik its down to less progesterone (which starts decreasing from 35 on average) which is involved in breaking down of histamine, and the unbalanced and sometimes v high levels of oestrogen which is involved in stimulating the mast cells that produce histamine. The issue with sugar mention in a pp can also cause issues, peri menopause is a minefield tbh!

I was making silly, rookie, mistakes at work. Forgetting what I was talking about halfway through talking. Completely forgetting words. Forgetting how to spell words. Feeling lesser and stupid. A little bit of a lack of confidence in my work, when I've always been great.

Started hrt on the lowest dose and it cleared up pretty much straight away.

Its a horrendous feeling isnt it, i was begining to think i was actually heading for dementia. My losing things in work became a running joke, and id always been the super organised one that could lay me hand on a particular sheet of paper immediately, but when i found myself trailing off or spluttering mid-sentence because i couldnt for the life of me remember what the words or my point was I was rwally scared

Seems to me this could be a Mirena side effect.

I have wondered that. However it’s getting worse with time whereas you’d expect symptoms to ease off as progesterone levels decrease as the mirena wears off? I’ve had it over five years now so it’s reaching the end of its life.
im also not keen to go back to periods 🤣

My brain fog is that I can’t go into a shop without a list otherwise I just walk in & don’t gave a clue what I’m there for. Or I see someone & I know them but I can’t think what they’re called so I might call them a similar but not correct name. It’s that I don’t have a track on my purse/phone. It’s just like I’m going through life not concentrating.

if someone asked me what date it is on any particular day, I would struggle. I know it’s October but I couldn’t pinpoint it to a number of that month.

Yes, I get that. I was listening to a podcast about menopause and they were referring to hormonal birth control as a chemical menopause so you have to wonder if something is stopping your periods what are the chances it won’t also be causing other havoc while it’s at it?

Anyway, just something to consider, if it’s at the end of life maybe get it removed and don’t replace it straight away and see how you feel. 🙂 I hope you can figure it out 💐

I have been pondering this. I think the problem is that menopause can also trigger worsening of certain illnesses - like CFS/other chronic illnesses so sometimes it's hard to know whether it's menopause/CFS/something else.

I think PEM is specifically aligned with CFS and also if the brain fog is like a cold, that sounds much more viral/CFS related but I also would not rule out hormones.

I have had a long standing viral illness and I definitely got that fuzzy cold brain fog. But I would say my menopause brain fog is more along the lines of knowing I know a name but not being able to recall it whereas the viral brain fog was more all encompassing if that makes sense.

But I do believe there are relationships between menopause and chronic illness. Sorry that's not a lot more helpful.

It seems like it probably isn't perimenopause related brain fog then. I do occasionally get the forgetfulness type brain fog but I would say that is since pregnancy rather than being peri related as such. Lots to think about.

Yes I started to wonder about early dementia too. What I really didnt like though was the feeling lesser, unworthy compared to otehrs, loss of confidence in my abilities. Its a horrible feeling.

I know this is kind of a zombie thread but I've been on HRT for a year and been advised to come off it as spotting etc. What else helps naturally for brain fog please?

Anyone tried these and the other supplements (Lions Mane)?

Been off HRT for 2 weeks and brain fog getting worse again...

I can only say that my memory is better than it's ever been. I wish I'd discovered them decades ago. My elder DSis who is in her 60s now recommended the vitamins. There are other threads on MN about Lions Mane and I think it is generally found to be helpful. I've not had any side effects for either.