What We Know About Hormones, Brain Fog & Women's Brain Health

People with uteruses go through the wringer. The aches and pains the female body endures preparing for pregnancy every month is nothing to scoff at. (And don't get me started on the ups and downs of pregnancy—or childbirth!) 

At times, hormonal changes are more annoying than dreadful, though. For example, how many times has your period snuck up on you and stained your favorite pair of lounge pants—or your sheets in the middle of the night? Then, after decades of getting used to these monthly visits, your body suddenly shifts into reverse and BAM—you're dealing with a new set of unique hormonal challenges during menopause. 

Whether you're 18 or 88, if you've had a menstrual cycle, you've seen (and experienced) a lot of hormonal changes. What you may not know is how your hormones, your cycle, and the stages of your life influence your brain and cognitive function. 

You may have moments of mental fogginess, difficulty concentrating, and not-so-great memory during your cycle, during pregnancy, and just before and during menopause. Hormonal brain fog is a widely experienced phenomenon that, thanks to the gender disparity in brain health science (more on that later), isn't well-researched. 

As I mentioned, hormones heavily affect cognitive function. Integrative dietitian and hormone expert Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT, shares that occasional brain fog may be experienced at different times in a monthly menstrual cycle and while moving through life stages like pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. 

So, why don't we have a better understanding of what causes hormonal brain fog in 2023? To put it bluntly, there's a lack of research on female brains. Women's brain health, specifically, is an under-researched, underrepresented, and unspoken area, according to leading neuroscientist and women's brain health advocate Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D.

"Somehow, in the landscape of things that we're told a woman should be concerned with, her brain has seldom been one of them," Mosconi previously wrote for mbg. "Further, very few doctors have the knowledge or framework to address the many ways that brain health plays out differently in women than in men." 

Hormones are constantly in flux during your menstrual cycle. Crouch thinks of hormones as "performing a delicate dance" where the levels of one affect the levels of another. She describes estrogen as the ringleader. 

"Estrogen rises after the menstrual bleed and peaks just before ovulation. After ovulation, estrogen falls and progesterone rises in preparation for implantation of a fertilized egg," explains Crouch. 

When estrogen and testosterone levels rise before ovulation, it is common to experience more clarity, confidence, and energy. But when those hormones drop after ovulation, well, that's when the temporary brain fog occurs. (So, fingers crossed that the big assignment or presentation you have coming up falls on that powerful time just before ovulation!)

Whether you call it pregnancy brain or baby brain, lack of mental clarity during pregnancy is real—and common. "Pregnancy brain" may consist of suboptimal cognitive function, memory difficulties, and subpar executive functioning skills. 

During pregnancy, progesterone levels shift, leading to changes in mood and even temporary lapses in memory. The surge of hormones during this time leads to changes in brain structure for up to two years post-pregnancy1. 

These changes in the brain and the "remarkable degree of plasticity2" prepare you for attachment and the ability to care for your new baby. (So cool!) Unfortunately, you may deal with some mental fogginess as a result of these rapid changes.

As Crouch explained, estrogen leads the show in the dance that is your hormones. Estrogen has superpower-like abilities when it comes to the brain—such as enhancing neurotransmitters that improve memory and learning. But in menopause, estrogen levels drop. 

During your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and before and during menopause, it's important to take extra great care of your brain. Supporting your brain health by taking a targeted nootropic supplement, managing stress, and eating well can help ease the inevitable mental fuzziness that comes along with these stages of life (and promote brain longevity and mental clarity now and down the road).*