Something Can Cause Memory Problems That You’d Never Suspect

As a person ages, they start to worry about memory problems, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Most of us are probably aware that these 2 diseases can affect our memory.

Well, there’s another area that can be triggering memory problems and you’ve probably never even heard of it or considered it (I know I didn’t until I read this article!).

It does affect women more than men and is caused by the drop in estrogen levels caused by the onset of menopause.

It turns out that for women this drop in estrogen can trigger ADHD and memory issues to come on quickly.

Since testing for ADHD is a newer approach to assist children, this means adults over 60 have a zero chance of having been diagnosed with ADHD as a child. For younger adult women ages 18 to 44, the researchers found that three quarters of them were also never diagnosed as children.

ADHD is a life long situation and as one of the researchers wrote, “It doesn’t go away when you get your AARP card.”

These plunging estrogen levels affect both short-term memory and the ability to focus. It also contributes to brain fog.

The researchers recommend that all menopausal women experiencing cognitive decline should be screened for ADHD even if they have never been diagnosed with the disorder. 

So, what to do?

If you’re experiencing memory issues, you could do a three-month trial of hormone replacement therapy. If that doesn’t work, then you could experiment with stimulants used to treat ADHD in young people. 

You could also see if you could find a Brain Gym practitioner either live or online that could work with you. You can find practitioners by going to www.BrainGym.org.

Finally, you could contact a nonprofit called CHADD, which stands for Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, that offers regional support groups at www.CHADD.org.

So…for women, you’ll probably also need to educate your doc as they probably have never heard of memory loss being hooked up with ADHD. They’ll just think it’s the brain that’s  being affected and not coming from the changes in the body!
(Reported AARP.org/Bulletin, December 2022)