Paper highlight

93% of women with menopause-related brain fog say it bothers them and they are looking for support.

Source: Proctor, Hunter, He & Spector (2026), Menopause. Mixed-methods study, n=232 peri/postmenopausal women aged 40–60.

There's a moment many women describe, somewhere between perimenopause and the years that follow, where they find themselves mid-sentence with nothing to say. Or they've walked into a room and can't remember why. Or they're in a meeting, sharp and capable as they've always been, and suddenly they're not. Cognitive difficulties during the menopause transition are common, real, and deeply unsettling. And yet, for most women, there is still almost no formalised support to help them through it. A new study published in April 2026 in Menopause puts some striking numbers to this gap.Researchers from University College London, including Professor Aimee Spector, one of the world's leading experts in non-drug psychological interventions, surveyed 216 peri and postmenopausal women and spoke in depth with a further 16 in focus groups.

All participants reported experiencing cognitive difficulties. All were aged between 40 and 60, with an average age of 51.8. The findings were clear: 93% of participants said their cognitive difficulties bothered them, ranging from mildly to severely. That means the vast majority of women in this study weren't dismissing what they were experiencing as trivial, it was affecting them.

And when asked whether they'd want help? 95% said yes.

That near-universal appetite for support exists alongside a near-total absence of validated, accessible interventions specifically designed for menopause-related cognitive symptoms. Women know they need something. The something doesn't yet exist at scale.

The study didn't just describe the problem, it asked women what support should look like. Their answers were specific. Women wanted:

• Psychoeducation: to understand what is actually happening in their brain during the menopause transition, and why. Simply being given an explanation, a credible, evidence-based framework for their experience, was valued. Fear, left unaddressed, often makes symptoms feel worse.

  
  

• Practical tools to manage memory, attention, and cognitive load in everyday life. Not vague advice to "sleep more" or "reduce stress," but concrete techniques they could apply.

  
  

• Peer support and emotional connection with other women having the same experience came through strongly. There is something powerful about having your experience named and validated by people who truly understand it, not because they've read about it, but because they're living it too.

The qualitative part of the study added important depth. Ten themes emerged from the focus groups, and the emotional impact of cognitive difficulties ran through all of them.

Women described the effect on their confidence, their sense of identity, their ability to function at work and at home.

The menopause transition is often framed in terms of physical symptoms. But losing confidence in your own mind carries a different kind of weight. It's quiet, private, and rarely talked about. This study is part of a growing body of evidence that names this experience clearly, takes it seriously, and begins building a path toward doing something about it. The researchers are using this data to develop a new psychosocial intervention specifically targeting cognitive symptoms in menopause. It is co-created with women, grounded in evidence, and designed to address exactly what the study found women need: understanding, strategies, and community. At Cerebella, this research resonates with everything we are building. Our platform is designed to give women in midlife a personalised, evidence-based, non-drug route to reduce brain fog.

If you're a woman in midlife experiencing cognitive difficulties, or someone who supports them, we're building something for you. Join our waitlist to follow our progress.