Monday, June 16, 2008

Hot flashes underreported and linked to forgetfulness

"Hot flashes underreported and linked to forgetfulness

Women in midlife underreport the number of hot flashes that they experience by more than 40 percent, and these hot flashes are linked to poor verbal memory, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The study is published online and will appear in the September/October issue of the journal Menopause.

It is the first study to explore the relationship between objectively measured hot flashes and memory performance.

Memory complaints are common at midlife, and previous research indicates that" Read the full article...

I found this to be quite fascinating because I have also read recent articles that say memory loss is NOT related to menopause.

I have noticed that some of my hot flashes are so mild I don't recognize them until they are subsiding. But I have also noticed a big increase in memory loss. For example I will be talking to K and I will stop at a word because I just can't remember it. I know what I am talking about, what the subject matter is, even what I am trying to say but literally cannot come up with a word. So I tend to talk around it until I come up with it.

I feel sometimes that it's akin to having a stroke ~ you know what you want to say and can't. It's also like looking in a box: you walk toward and open the box because you know the item you need is in it but when you lift the lid it is empty. You may feel and look around in the box but it's still empty and you are still sure it shouldn't be.

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