Brain Fog & the Hormonal Shifts That Affect Cognitive Health

Have you ever heard the term “pregnancy brain” or lost your train of thought mid-sentence? Do you ever feel like your brain isn’t working as well as it should after a bad night of sleep? Are you in your 40s and noticing that you’re not able to think as clearly as you once did? Brain fog is not a real medical diagnosis; it’s an umbrella term for what can be a constellation of many different symptoms, but it is real, it’s common, and it deserves a real workup. 2/3 perimenopausal and menopausal women report cognitive concerns, usually paired with other symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. Most of the time it’s a part of the transition, and it does not continue, but there can be signs that something more insidious is going on. It’s one of those invisible chronic symptoms that can sound like an excuse, when in fact your cognition is impaired, and you can’t think as clearly as they once used to. In this episode, Dr. Alicia Robbins and Dr. Lucky Sekhon are breaking down what brain fog is, what causes it, when to worry, and what can actually help. They explain what happens to a woman’s brain during pregnancy and in her 40s, and also other common causes of brain fog because it can happen to anyone at any stage of life. Dr. Robbins also shares research from neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi who was the first person to map out the brain in real time as it responds to estrogen. By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to describe your brain fog so it gets taken seriously, the most common causes and the labs worth asking about, red flags that mean you need to be seen more urgently, and what actually helps and which supplements to skip. Dr. Sekhon and Dr. Robbins also share what the newest research in 2026 says about hormone therapy and Alzheimer’s, and what the data we have on testosterone says for brain health.  Listen to our episode on sleep with @thenycsleepdoctor: The Science Behind Sleep with Dr. Saema Tahir of @thenycsleepdoctor IF YOU’RE TEXTING YOUR FRIENDS LIKE... You: I totally blanked in a meeting today... Also You: And I forgot that I had my kid’s piano recital this weekend, so I can’t go to the event anymore... 3AM You: Wait…I’m forgetting a lot lately...should I be concerned???  IF YOUR GOOGLE SEARCH HISTORY LOOKS LIKE THIS… What is brain fog? Is brain fog normal? Why do I feel like I can’t remember anything all of a sudden? Are there supplements that can help with brain fog? How do I talk to my doctor about my brain fog? Is pregnancy brain real? How