Menopause & Brain Fog

The Oprah special on the Menopause Revolution was a star-studded event. Let’s take a step back and focus on the brief discussion of menopause on brain health with Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl.

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What to take away from Dr. Voskuhl

• First, who is Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl? UCLA neurologist specializing in menopause for the UCLA Comprehensive Menopause Care Program.

• She highlighted that menopause-related estrogen decline can lead to cognitive issues such as brain fog, memory loss, and difficulty maintaining focus. Estrogen is considered “neuroprotective” for the brain.

• Estriol (i.e., a different form of estrogen replacement called estradiol) is considered a safer alternative treatment. It’s branded as PearlPAK by CleopatraRx and shown statistically significant improvements in cognition in clinical trials.

• Interested to learn more? Check out her published article on menopause research (PubMed). Note she invented PearlPAK and consults for CleopatraRx.

What other experts are saying about estriol

• Dr. Jen Gunter is a board-certified OB/GYN, author, and NYT contributor. The Menopause Society has also publicly endorsed her work. She raised several arguments using estriol to prevent cognitive decline.

• The available studies listed on the CleopatraRx website are mostly studies using mice or studies on multiple sclerosis. It was confirmed there were no randomized trials of estriol for "brain fog" in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women, and there are no trials supporting the use of any estrogen for "brain fog."

• Bottomline: “While menopause hormone therapy absolutely has its place in managing certain symptoms, the sweeping claims that estrogen is the key to treating brain fog or preventing cognitive decline or dementia are not backed by solid scientific evidence.”

• Interested to learn more? Check out her in-depth discussion on the (mis)information related to estriol and a list of evidence-based research articles to your heart’s content.

Why it matters

We don’t always know what we don’t know. Menopause impact on brain health from brain fog to dementia is a growing research area. We hope sharing the two sides of the story will help you be informed on the symptom and potential treatment.