Women of a certain age who feel their memory is letting them down may not be imagining it.

It is a sign of the menopause, say researchers.
A study has confirmed that around the time of the change many women struggle with memory and other brain skills.
Fluctuating levels of female hormones are the likely cause of the problem, which affects women most badly during the first year of the menopause.

But the good news is it is not linked to depression or sleep problems and the effects are unlikely to be permanent.

Dr Miriam Weber, a neuropsychologist at the University of Rochester Medical Centre, who led the study, said the findings would strike a chord with millions of women going through the menopause.

Memory difficulties are one of the most common symptoms for women in their late 40s and early 50s, she said, a transition stage known as perimenopausal.
She said: ‘This study suggests that these problems not only exist but become most evident in the women in the first year following their final menstrual period.’

The average age that women in Britain start the menopause is 50. They develop symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, depression, irritability and loss of concentration.

SOURCE:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2256675/Does-menopause-really-make-forgetful-Yes-long-say-scientists.html