(Ep 6) Have you ever been mid-sentence — mid-thought — and had the whole thing simply vanish? Not slip away and come back a moment later. Gone. Or walked into a room and had no idea why you were there? Or reached for the simplest word — banana, fork, the name of someone you’ve known for years — and found nothing there at all? For months, that was my every day. It honestly felt like someone had invaded my brain overnight — this sharp, capable brain I’d built a whole career on, suddenly not mine anymore. And the hardest part wasn’t the forgetting itself. It was the frustration of grasping for a word that just would not come while everyone waited, and the quiet loneliness of holding it all together on the outside while, on the inside, I no longer recognised the person I’d become — and for all my trying, could do nothing to control it or make it stop. It took me a long time to understand what was really going on. It’s hormonal. It has a name. And for the vast majority of us, it’s temporary. This week I’m pulling perimenopausal brain fog apart properly — because it’s one of the most frightening symptoms and one of the most misunderstood, and it does not stay politely in the background. This isn’t “just push through and hope it passes.” It’s what’s actually happening in your brain, why it goes after your words specifically, how to tell it apart from Alzheimer’s, and a real toolkit for getting your sharpness back — everything from what you can change this week to the honest long-term picture almost nobody talks about. It’s the episode I wish someone had handed me before I lost months to the fear. In this episode: → What brain fog actually feels like — at home and at work: the blank rooms, the words that vanish mid-sentence, the paragraph you read five times, and the invisible exhaustion nobody around you can see → What’s really happening in your brain — oestrogen’s role across your memory and focus, and why your brain is recalibrating on less fuel, not breaking down → Why it’s almost certainly NOT early dementia — the three clear ways to tell the difference, and when to see your GP anyway → The honest long-term picture — the higher Alzheimer’s risk in women, and the genuinely hopeful flip side: up to about 45% of dementia risk is within your control → What pours petrol on the fog — sleep loss, stress, low iron or B12, an underactive thyroid, alcohol and ultra-processed food → What actually helps — protecting your sleep, lifting heavy for your brain (not just your body), eating for your brain, and lightening the invisible mental load → The one thing to start this week to feel a little more like yourself again YOUR BRAIN-FOG TOOLKIT — where to start this week: Protect your sleep first · Lift heavy two or three times a week and move your body daily · Eat for your brain — protein, oily fish, and 25–30g of fibre · Ask your GP to check your ferritin and iron, your B12 and your thyroid · Get it out of your head and onto paper, without shame · Have the honest conversation about your options with a practitioner who understands menopause Small changes stack. You don’t have to fix it all at once — you just have to start. If you’ve been quietly terrified that you’re losing your mind — you’re not. Your brain isn’t broken and it isn’t slipping away. It’s recalibrating, on less fuel than it’s used to, in the middle of a hormonal upheaval nobody warned you about — and for the vast majority of us, the sharpness comes back. You’re still in there. Your clever, capable brain is still in there. And there is a great deal you can do to help it. ─────────── Ready to work with me? The Peri Protocol is my personalised coaching program for women in perimenopause and menopause. Apply here → www.kirstencookecoaching.com/apply Grab your free guide — download your free What the Peri? guide → www.kirstencookecoaching.com/free-guide Come say hi 🌸 Follow along on Instagram and Facebook @kirstencookecoaching — I’d love to hear what resonated with you. ─────────── Research referenced: Greendale GA et al. (2009). Effects of the menopause transition and hormone use on cognitive performance in midlife women (SWAN) — Neurology Mosconi L et al. (2021). Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid-beta deposition — Scientific Reports Maki PM et al. (2022). Brain fog in menopause: a health-care professional’s guide for decision-making and counseling on cognition — Climacteric Livingston G et al. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission — The Lancet Note: Perimenopausal brain fog is extremely common and, for most women, temporary. This episode isn’t a substitute for assessment — if your memory changes are severe, steadily worsening, or frightening the people around you, please see your GP. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for personal medical decisions. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia).
