The challenge: develop a tool to support women with brain fog
Brain Fog is one of the most common but misunderstood menopause symptoms, affecting up to 86% of women. Some think they are dementing, and many to lose confidence in their ability to work. It is a leading reason cited by women who have quit their job, reduced their hours or changed jobs.
While HRT/MHT may help some to some extent, there is no ‘cure,’ so there is a considerable need for a system that could help those who are affected by it remain confident and productive, which is exactly that this research sets out to do.
The Research
Professor Aimee Spector and her team at University College London (UCL) have developed a supportive intervention for the cognitive and psychological symptoms of menopause.
You may have heard of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and this is a similar concept. It gives people the skills they need to reframe negative thoughts about menopause and brain fog so they can cope better with brain fog symptoms. This will help them keep their confidence up and improve their faith in their ability to work.
It has been trialled successfully in small groups so far with participants saying they felt better able to manage their work and that their confidence had improved. Now it needs to be tested on a large and diverse population to ensure its effectiveness and establish its potential economic benefits.
The trial is called ‘Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Menopause: A novel intervention to support cognitive challenges in the menopause transition’ or CST-Meno for short.
Why this matters?
It’s estimated that up to one in ten women quit their job as a result of menopause symptoms and the cost the the UK economy is said to be around £1.5bn per year in lost productivity. It affects women’s earnings and their pensions and superannuation.
A simple tool or skillset that could help people manage their brain fog symptoms could help them stay in work, and even go for that promotion! It would also help employers who wouldn’t need to face the disruption and estimated £25-30K costs of replacing staff who feel they can no longer cope at work.
The team hopes that CST-Meno will be a great adjunct to hormonal treatments, as well as helping those who can’t or don’t wish to take hormone therapy.
What funding is needed?
Total funds required: £400,000
Supporting this project via MREF means the University waives its 125% overhead making it easier to research the required sum so research can start sooner!
Your donation will pay for research staff, conducting and evaluating clinical trials and the evaluation.
Who is Prof. Aimee Spector?
Aimee Spector is Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing and director of the UCL ‘Menopause Mind Lab’, a team of researchers and clinicians dedicated to understanding more about the impact of menopause transition on cognition and mental health.
Previously she developed ‘Cognitive Stimulation Therapy’ which is now the leading NHS treatment for dementia and used in 42 countries. It features in multiple clinical guidelines including National Institute of Health Excellence (NICE, UK Department of Health) and is promoted by the World Health Organisation. With expertise in the global development and evaluation of complex interventions for ageing, she aims to evaluate and support the implementation of CST-Meno following a similar research-to-practice trajectory.
Prof. Spector has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, 5 book chapters and 11 books. She leads the UCL Dementia Training Academy and is international lead for University College London’s Clinical Psychology doctorate course. Click here for her full research portfolio.
Brain fog shouldn’t end people’s careers. Support Aimee’s research and we can help make sure it doesn’t!
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