A lesser known menopause symptom is being highlighted by an expert doctor- and it's said to be very common.
Dr Asha Kasliwal is a consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and runs her own self-referral menopause clinic and has said that most woman are aware of common menopause symptoms.
These include irregular periods, hot flushes, difficulty sleeping and mood swings.
However Dr Kasilwal said she wanted to highlight the symptom of 'brain fog' which she added was difficult for sufferers to recognise it and talk about it with family, friends or colleagues.
That was partly, Dr Kasliwal said, down to the fact that some patients are concerned that it could be a sign of early onset dementia or another serious illness.
Brain fog is seen mostly in women during the perimenopausal period, which is the transitional time around menopause, because of fluctuating hormones.
Perimenopause and menopause usually affect women between the ages of 45 and 55. But can happen earlier, and last until around the age of 65.
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Speaking to the M.E.N, Dr Kasliwal said: "It's quite common and becoming more common as people recognise what brain fog is. In the past people didn't know that it could be part of the menopause. The kind of things patients tell you is that they have difficulty remembering words or numbers, that they are missing appointments, and they are forgetting events like birthdays.
"Women are quite used to multitasking and they find they are not able to multitask anymore or find it difficult to switch between different tasks. They have trouble focusing or concentrating on what’s happening. Simple things like not being able to find your car key."
Treating brain fog isn't always simple, warned Dr Kasliwal. Other symptoms of the menopause can be alleviated with the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), but that doesn't necessarily apply here.
She said that women should also be cautious about using testosterone to treat brain fog and that it should be limited to women whose HRT dose has already been optimised.
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