OvaryActive27 Mar 2025

Ep 13 | Your Brain on Peri: Cognition

Ever walked into a room and immediately forgotten why you're there? Or found yourself staring at a to-do list like it's written in an ancient language? You're not alone.

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Amy Voedisch and Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su tackle the maddening phenomenon of brain fog during perimenopause. Spoiler alert: It's not just you, and no, you're (probably) not losing your mind—just your estrogen.

In this enlightening and comforting conversation, the Docs explain down how hormonal fluctuations can scramble memory, multitasking skills, and general cognitive function. They also discuss the fine line between brain fog, ADHD, and the (sometimes overblown) fear of early dementia. The good news? Research—including the SWAN study—suggests that cognitive function typically rebounds after menopause, meaning there's light at the end of this very foggy tunnel.

You might already be knee-deep in perimenopausal forgetfulness or just bracing for impact, but you'll find this episode to be packed with science, strategies, and a reassuring dose of humor (because Dr. Voedisch is right there with us!). Don't forget to share this episode with a friend, sister, colleague, or the woman in front of you at the grocery store who did NOT find everything she was looking for today.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:27] Understanding cognition (brain fog) during perimenopause

[1:08] The impact of brain fog

[4:56] ADHD and cognitive changes

[8:03] Hormone changes and brain function

[15:38] Estrogen's role in the brain

[20:37] Symptoms are interrelated

[23:29] Hormone therapy for cognitive function

[28:20] Dementia, hormones, and the brain

[35:09] Strategies for optimizing brain health

Resources:

lisamosconi.com

The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi, PhD

swanstudy.org

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(42)

Ep 41 | Brain Docs, Part 2: Migraines, Hormones, & Perimenopause

Perimenopause is apparently the perfect time to start worrying about dementia, cholesterol, hearing aids, and whether your brain is quietly packing its bags. This episode of OvaryActive is part 2 of ...

28 Mai 38min

Ep 40 | Brain Docs, Part 1: Brain Fog, Dementia Fears, & Perimenopause

Perimenopause can make your brain feel like it left the room — not that it remembers why it went there in the first place. In this first part of a two-part series with the Brain Docs, OvaryActive is t...

14 Mai 27min

Ep 39 | Weird Symptoms of Perimenopause

Perimenopause: where your body starts doing weird things and then gaslights you about it. In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Amy Voedisch and Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su dive into the "wait…what?" sympt...

23 Apr 34min

Ep 38 | When Hormones Are Not the Only Answer

Perimenopause: the phase where your body does whatever it wants, whenever it wants, and your brain has thoughts about it. So what happens when hot flashes hit, anxiety creeps in, and suddenly you're q...

9 Apr 36min

Ep 37 | When Its NOT Peri: Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA) with Chrisandra Shufelt, MD

Perimenopause is still taking the blame… but in this unexpected third installment (because Amy just got too excited), we're talking about functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). Dr. Chrisandra Shuf...

26 Mar 38min

Ep 36 | When It's NOT Peri: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Perimenopause gets blamed for a lot of things – mood swings, weird cycles, rogue chin hairs – but sometimes the culprit isn't peri at all. In Part 2 of When It's NOT Peri, the Docs are talking about p...

12 Mar 42min

Ep 35 | When It's NOT Peri: Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)

Perimenopause gets blamed for a lot… but sometimes it's innocent. In this first episode of our two-part series When It's NOT Peri, the Docs talk about what happens when symptoms that look like perimen...

26 Feb 40min

Ep 34 | Heart Disease and Perimenopause: The Risk Factors We're Missing

When we talk about perimenopause, we talk a lot about symptoms, but not nearly enough about what's happening to your heart. Since February is Heart Health Month, it's the perfect time to take a "beat"...

12 Feb 45min