Hot flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, and mood swings are commonly associated with menopause, but, there's one symptom, in particular, that has women and the medical field buzzing: Brain fog. A new groundbreaking study from the University of Oklahoma indicates that going through menopause can cause poor cognitive performance in women who lack sufficient iron. Here's everything you need to know and what to do if you're experiencing fuzziness, fatigue, and forgetfulness as your body changes in your 30s, 40s, or 50s.
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New study finds low iron levels can weaken menopausal women's cognitive skills
Why is it common for women to experience brain fog during menopause? Researchers recently sought to answer this question by exploring the link between blood iron levels and cognitive performance in menopausal women, publishing their findings in the journal Nutrients.
"When a woman makes the menopausal transition, she's no longer losing blood on a monthly basis, which means she’s no longer losing iron. We wanted to see if the cost of being low on iron disappears during the menopausal transition," explained lead study author Michael Wenger, PhD, a psychology professor at OU's College of Arts and Sciences, in a news release. "Very few studies have been done in this area."
Wenger and his team studied 27 women who were experiencing symptoms of menopause. Each participant completed blood iron tests, MRI screenings to measure iron levels in the brain, and a series of cognitive tasks.
While none of the participants received an iron deficiency diagnosis, many women had levels that were considered below normal for their age range. Interestingly, these women did poorly on their memory, attention, and cognitive assessments.
The variation in performance levels sparked concern among the research team. "If I were to give a woman with iron deficiency a simple task in which she presses a button every time an asterisk appears on a screen, the deficiency would cost her about 150 milliseconds. That doesn't sound like a lot, but we make simple decisions like that when we choose every word we say in a sentence. Those 150 milliseconds add up," explained Wenger.
"Low iron could easily be one of the reasons that a woman is experiencing brain fog during the menopausal transition," concluded Wenger. "It also may be why some women talk about their eyesight changing during menopause. Iron is a critical element in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine, and the eye is dependent upon dopamine for basic signaling at the first point of contact with light."
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Why you should ask your doctor for an iron deficiency test
Having low iron levels puts you at risk for being anemic, meaning your body doesn't produce enough healthy red blood cells and can't carry oxygen to organs and tissues, according to the Mayo Clinic.
While an iron deficiency test typically isn't routine at your annual ob-gyn visit, if you're going through menopause and experiencing brain fog or other symptoms, ask your doctor for a test.
It's also important to know that above-normal blood iron levels don't equate to the amount of iron in the brain. Wenger said this discovery is "good news," as increased accumulation in the brain is "a risk factor for developing conditions like Alzheimer's and vascular dementia."
If you have concerns regarding your iron levels, speak with a healthcare professional who can provide insight about iron-enriched foods and potential iron supplement options.
"Making these minor changes could make a woman’s transition from pre- to post-menopause easier to bear," concluded Wenger.
