A menopause seminar arranged by the South Eastern Trust’s Down GP Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Social Work Team in Millbrook Hotel, Ballynahinch, attracted a full room of women eager to understand the effects of perimenopause and menopause on brain health and cognitive function.
Guest Speaker, Dr Gwyneth Hinds delivered an insightful presentation on the impact of menopause on brain structure. She highlighted that brain scans show a temporary loss of grey matter during menopause, but reassuringly, post-menopause, grey matter and brain function, including memory, can recover. She emphasised that memory loss and brain fog “is not your imagination.”
Dr Hinds also shared the encouraging finding that ten years post-menopause, women often report significantly higher life satisfaction than they experienced in their 20s and 30s.
Many of the woman who attended the seminar were introduced to strategies to maintain and improve brain health, including adopting a Mediterranean diet, promoting gut health, increasing exercise, consuming a variety of 30 different fruits, grains, pulses and nuts per week, reducing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking and considering the effective use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). They also learnt “what’s good for the heart is good for the brain.”
A majority of women in attendance reported being significantly impacted by brain fog.
Dr Hinds outlined the benefits of a Mediterranean diet stating, “This diet has the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, lower the risk of depression by 40% for menopausal women, decrease the experience of hot flushes by 20% and reduce the risk of Breast Cancer.
Dr Hinds added, “Research into HRT has shown a 42% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, as well as a 55% reduction in the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).”
Those attending the seminar found it to be extremely beneficial, with one woman commenting, “Tonight has been an emotional evening, as someone is listening, someone is helping.”
Other comments included, “I forget what I am talking about and forget where I leave items. I plan to eat properly and eat a more Mediterranean diet and keep up with my exercise to improve my brain health.”
“I have gained better knowledge on how to help myself while going through menopause.”
South Eastern Trust, Senior Social Work Practitioner, Amanda McMillen reflected on the success of the seminar and said, “It was clear that many attending the seminar took away this message of hope, understanding that they have the power to improve their brain health alongside managing menopause symptoms.”