120: Your Brain During Menopause with Dr Jen Hacker Pearson

Your brain is undergoing a massive renovation during menopause, and Neuroscientist Dr Jennifer Hacker Pearson is here to help you understand the how and why. 

With nearly three decades studying neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change itself, Dr Jen offers revolutionary insights into why perimenopause affects every woman differently and how you can harness this transformation.

When estrogen levels fluctuate during perimenopause, your brain essentially panics. There are estrogen receptors throughout your neural networks, and as this crucial hormone decreases, your brain must create "workarounds" by changing its structure, function, and connectivity. This rewiring explains everything from mood swings to cognitive changes, but it also presents a golden opportunity for personal growth.

"Menopause is actually a gift," Dr Jen explains, challenging society's often negative perspective. Rather than viewing it as decline, she frames it as a developmental transition, a chance to become your truest, most authentic self. The extensive neural reorganisation happening during this time creates ideal conditions for consciously shaping who you want to be in your post-menopausal years.

Dr Jen shares practical tools for directing this transformation, recommending meditation to reduce neuroinflammation (which increases as estrogen decreases) and journaling to understand how past experiences have shaped your brain. She also discusses fascinating research on how previous hormonal experiences like pregnancy might better prepare women for menopause, and explains why declining estrogen levels may contribute to women's higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Download Dr Jen's free 5-minute meditation designed specifically for women in perimenopause, and discover why embracing this transition rather than fighting it could be the key to thriving through midlife and beyond.

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