Bouncing Back: The Personal Resilience Science Insights Podcast · Life Management Science Labs

Assoc. Prof. Caroline Gurvich: How Hormones Shape Women's Mental Health | Bouncing Back #64

·52 min·3 clips

About 60% of women report brain fog during perimenopause.

1. Bouncing Back: The Personal Resilience Science Insights Podcast focuses this episode on women's mental health, hormones, and cognition with Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich. 2. Caroline Gurvich is the Deputy Director of Her Centre Australia, Head of the Cognition and Hormones Group, and an Associate Professor at Monash University. 3. The episode asks how estrogen and progesterone shape mood, thinking, and resilience across puberty, pregnancy, perinatal life, and menopause. 4. Caroline says she is a clinical neuropsychologist who became interested in cognition, schizophrenia, and later women's mental health. 5. She traces hormone-related change to puberty, when depression and anxiety become more prevalent in adolescent girls than in younger children and boys. 6. She notes that menstrual cycles begin at puberty and that oral or hormonal contraceptive pills can also affect mood, cognition, and behavior. 7. Caroline describes pregnancy, the postnatal period, and menopause as major stages of hormone change, while saying male hormone status is relatively steady across the lifespan. 8. She explains that estrogen and progesterone receptors appear in the hippocampus, amygdala, and front part of the brain. 9. She links those receptors to memory, emotion regulation, decision-making, attention, and goal-directed behavior. 10. Caroline also names serotonin, dopamine, and the GABAergic system as neurotransmitter systems that interact with these hormones. 11. She says some women notice no hormone-related changes, while others become highly sensitive during the premenstrual period or menopause. 12. Caroline says some women experience debilitating premenstrual mood changes, while others report depression for the first time during menopause. 13. She notes that perimenopause can span four to 10 years before menopause, and that estrogen declines and fluctuates during that transition. 14. Caroline says researchers are still unclear why some women are more sensitive, though genetics and early-life adversity are among the theories. 15. She says knowledge is empowering and suggests tracking mood, cognition, and contraceptive changes as a first step. 16. Caroline recommends speaking with a general practitioner who understands hormones and menopause if symptoms seem linked to hormonal change. 17. She says about 60% of women report brain fog in perimenopause, with lapses in concentration, forgetfulness, and word-finding problems. 18. Caroline says brain fog can affect self-esteem and work, and some women later realize their symptoms were part of menopause. 19. The interview style is conversational and practical, with Joanna asking plain-language follow-ups and Caroline translating biology into everyday examples. 20. People interested in women's health, menopause, or brain fog will get the most from it, while listeners wanting a light entertainment episode may skip it.

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