162: How the menopause affects the brain, with Dr Ben Webb

Ben is a neuroscientist, psychology lecturer, speaker and author specialising in how the brain works.

In fact, he’s spent 20 years researching the brain and has a special interest is how the brain changes during the perimenopause and menopause stages of life.

Until fairly recently, the menopause has not been discussed widely, but that’s certainly changing, thanks to some high-profile celebrities like Davina McCall campaigning for better education and access to HRT.

So my conversation with Ben feels quite timely. Ben explains how – contrary to popular belief - the menopause is a neurological process and how the hormonal changes have a tangible effect on a woman’s brain. He also explains why some of the common symptoms occur, the latest thinking on HRT, and why the timing of the menopause seems to be a design fault for women.

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I’m Justin King and I help people retire successfully.

As a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser with MFP Wealth Management I believe that retirement is more than just an economic event. It’s a life event. One that brings with it a huge variety of challenges and opportunities.

As host of The Retirement Café Podcast I aim to bring insight and inspiration from a wide range of experts to help you create and live a meaningful retirement.

This video is for information and entertainment only. Nothing on this channel constitutes financial advice. Please do not make any decisions based on the contents of my videos; seek professional independent financial advice first!

[gillhoward]

Unfortunately the biggest challenge I have seen from several friends is not the reaching out to GPs but actually getting GPs to help, two were even offered anti depressants and had to seek further help to get HRT Which did work wonders once received.

[daddio]

You should address how HRT negatively affects women. How many decide that they need to have lots of sex and even sleep around and end up doing irreparable damage to their families. Getting a divorce or otherwise splitting up, when that’s not really what they want to do, then end up regretting it for the rest of their lives.

[juneelle]

Look into the Grandma hypothesis. The vast majority of mammals do not experience menopause. It happens in whales, where the females become the leaders of the tribe (matriarchy). Evolutionary psychologists/biologists hypothesize that this is the development of women ending periods at a certain point… for caring and leadership purposes.