When menopause clouds your thinking, where do you turn?By Sophie Sulehria

Brain fog has been, and continues to be, my worst symptom of menopause - and believe me, I have had a fair few!

The hot flushes and night sweats were intense. The heart palpitations, anxiety, low mood and irritability hit me like a bus. Once I started HRT, most of those symptoms eased significantly or disappeared. But the brain fog and memory difficulties lived on, and sadly still do.

Forgetting names and places has become commonplace. So has forgetting birthday presents and losing track of important events. I even booked a holiday for the wrong week, only to realise, while at the hairdresser, that we had missed the trip entirely! These lapses make a great story, but living with them is frustrating and unsettling. They also add to an already huge mental load.

That frustration made me keen to try Cerebella, a digital platform supporting women’s brain health during the menopause transition. Having now used it, I have found the explanations and the opportunity to practise strategies helpful. And women can now try it for free at cerebella.app - simply visit the app and start using it.

The cost of losing confidence

My experience is personal, but I am far from alone. More than 23,000 people started the 2026 Menopause Mandate Big Survey. An initial, informal look at responses to its brain fog question found that 95% of those who answered said they experienced it. This describes survey respondents, rather than the prevalence among all women. In the 2025 survey, 84% reported brain fog.

University College London researchers will carry out a detailed analysis of the 2026 survey’s open-ended responses, exploring effects on work, mental health and relationships. Those findings have not yet been published, but the early themes deserve attention.

Women described forgetting words, meetings and tasks, struggling to concentrate or process information, and needing to write much more down. Some spoke of reduced productivity, sickness absence, changing roles or leaving work. Alongside the difficulties themselves came the fear of making another mistake or being seen as less competent.

As a live events host and journalist, I rely on words, concentration and thinking on my feet. One of my biggest frustrations is my “word hole” issue: knowing exactly what I mean to say, but being unable to find the word. Everyday words such as wardrobe and basket can suddenly disappear. The harder I try, the more elusive they seem.

When that happens repeatedly, it can change how you see yourself professionally. You may hesitate to speak in a meeting, question whether to apply for promotion or wonder whether you can keep doing a job you once felt confident in.

Reducing hours, stepping back from responsibility or leaving work can then have consequences far beyond the workplace. A smaller income can put pressure on household finances, reduce pension contributions and weaken financial independence. For some women, it may mean becoming more dependent on a partner or using savings intended for later life.

Work also provides purpose, identity, routine and social connection. Losing those, alongside financial security, can deepen anxiety and lower mood. Cognitive difficulties can undermine confidence; withdrawing from work can bring additional stresses that make wellbeing harder to protect. Women need support before stepping back begins to feel like their only option.

The effects reach relationships, too. Survey responses describe tension around forgetfulness and communication, and women withdrawing socially out of embarrassment. Understanding from partners, friends and colleagues can make a difference.

Respondents highlighted practical support: reminders, fewer interruptions, manageable workloads, time to process information and managers who listen without judgement. Medical treatment helped some. Support for the cognitive and emotional experience matters, too.

Seeing menopause as a brain-health issue

Cerebella’s starting point is that menopause is a neurological transition as well as a hormonal one. Changes in memory, attention, sleep and mood deserve to be taken seriously.

Founded by Dr Nahid Zokaei, Cerebella is being developed by cognitive neuroscientists together with women with lived experience. Scientific knowledge and the realities of managing symptoms both inform the development process throughout.

Its self-guided, non-drug programme runs for five weeks, with two sessions each week. It combines bite-sized education with activities drawing on cognitive stimulation, practical strategies, cognitive behavioural therapy principles and mindfulness. An activity centre lets users revisit exercises when they need them.

The programme is designed to fit around work and caring responsibilities, without fixed group meetings. That matters for women who cannot easily step away from a classroom, hospital shift or care role, and for employers seeking practical ways to support experienced staff.

The approaches informing Cerebella have a wider research base, although evidence for those approaches does not establish the effectiveness of this particular programme. Cerebella has completed a small pilot and plans to build further clinical evidence. Its longer-term ambition is NHS availability, subject to evaluation and approvals; it also hopes to partner with employers. For now, women can try the programme free at cerebella.app.

Understanding it, then practising a different approach

Speaking with Nahid helped me understand the thinking behind Cerebella. Using it showed me how that translated into everyday support: learning about memory, why we forget things, and how sleep and changes in the body can affect how we feel and function.

Having explanations for difficulties I had been experiencing made the information feel relevant. But the chance to practise strategies particularly stood out.

For my word-hole problem, the app introduced techniques such as imagining a word in a particular location or creating a rhyme to help remember it. It then gave me opportunities to practise those techniques.

That combination worked well for me. I could learn about something that had been driving me mad, then try a practical way of approaching it. I had something to return to when a familiar frustration arose.

My brain fog has not disappeared, and my experience is not a measure of clinical effectiveness. But understanding more and having strategies to practise has been valuable, particularly for a symptom that has persisted despite improvements elsewhere.

From recognition to meaningful support

The Menopause Mandate responses show why this conversation matters beyond a clinic or an app. Supporting women’s cognitive health means supporting their confidence, relationships, ability to work and financial independence.

Employers can help through honest conversations and practical adjustments. Clinicians can listen to cognitive concerns, consider the wider clinical picture and discuss appropriate support. Cerebella offers a new way for women to explore understanding and strategies alongside that support.

I still lose words and forget things. But I have a better understanding of my experience and practical tools to return to. For something that has so often left me feeling unlike myself, that is welcome.

To try Cerebella for free, visit cerebella.app and start using the programme.