Copyright channelnewsasia
Highs and lows in mood, focus and memory throughout the menstrual cycle. Forgetfulness during pregnancy. Brain fog and hot flushes as menopause approaches. And of course, remember those teenage years, when you were highly emotional and moody? You can blame all these on the two main female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, which affect our brains in a big way. Dr Zhao Yi Jing, a neurologist from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, said: “These (hormones) affect how our brain adapts, grows and communicates, and can impact our learning, memory, mood and overall brain health.” She explained that oestrogen and progesterone have a distinct impact on the parts of the brain that store memories (the hippocampus), helps to process emotions (amygdala) and governs our ability to plan and make decisions (prefrontal cortex). This is why we get cognitive issues like brain fog or behavioural changes such as irritability, during big hormonal fluctuations – puberty, pregnancy or postpartum, our menstrual period and menopause. THE FEMALE BRAIN DURING PUBERTY Differences in how the female and male brain develop are first seen during puberty, specifically in the limbic system, which is made up of interconnected brain structures that regulate our behaviour and emotional responses. Dr Zhao said there are more receptors for female hormones in the limbic system than other areas of the brain, which explains why teenage girls are more susceptible to mood changes. Boys, on the other hand, are more influenced by testosterone, the male hormone, which tends to act on different parts of the brain, and not as much in emotion-controlled areas. “This results in girls having greater difficulties in emotion regulation and increased vulnerability to mood disturbances,” she added.
