It can seem like Alzheimer’s comes on suddenly, but the disease is decades in the making. While the clearest symptoms may only be visible in old age, the groundwork is laid when we’re young. For many women, menopause is when it begins. Taking on all aspects of women's health, including brain fog, memory lapses, depression, stress, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, and the increased risk of dementia, Dr. Mosconi introduces cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches to protecting the female brain, including a specific diet proven to work for women, strategies to reduce stress, and useful tips for restorative sleep. She also examines the controversy about soy and hormonal replacement therapy, takes on the perils of environmental toxins, and examines the role of our microbiome. Perhaps best of all, she makes clear that it is never too late to take care of yourself. I recommend that every woman and all health care professionals read this fantastically important and insightful book from a true expert in the field. I couldn’t put it down.” —Dr Joanna McMillan, bestselling author of Brain Food Women have 11 percent more neurons in the primary auditory cortex, resulting in better hearing than men.

Stuff to get tested for and treat: UTIS, herpes, STIs such as syphilis and HIV. Also watch out for Epstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease and babesia (p.35) If you’ve experienced the ups and downs of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, you won’t be surprised to hear that hormones affect your brain. You may be surprised to hear just how much. The XX Brain builds from the recognition that women's brains age distinctly from men's, due mostly to the decline of a key brain-protective hormone: estrogen. Men’s brains produce more serotonin and women’s produce more dopamine. Men’s brains have more M cells to detect movement while women’s have more P cells to detect shapes. Popular wisdom about what we should eat is always changing. In the early 1990s, low-fat diets were gospel; today high-fat “keto” diets are all the rage. The truth is, no extreme diet is healthy for your brain. Instead, focus on the quality of the food you eat.There is also the possibility of late onset schizophrenia or depression with the onset of menopause. There is also the possibility of worsening mental illnesses in those previously diagnosed with menopause. (p. 11 and 12) Menopause also increases women’s susceptibility to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Compared to Andropause, which men have, men get low sex drive and irritability, but overall are less affected than women by hormonal changes. (p.12.) An estimated 20 percent of women going through menopause have brains that are unaffected by it, and 80 percent of women going through menopause do have brains affected by it. (p.13) This is a groundbreaking, must-read book, right on target with what I have found about women’s brains. As we age it is critical for us to act aggressively in promoting not just our health but our brain health through lifestyle. I highly recommend it!" —Anna Cabeca, DO, author of The Hormone Fix The medical establishment has long treated women’s health with what’s known as “bikini medicine”: seeing women as different in terms of their reproductive organs, but otherwise physiologically identical to men. But that overlooks one vital area of difference: the brain.

The author previously wrote a book on the brain and nutrition and drew on that research for this book. Based on this book, I will not beprobably not read that one. Women are more than twice as likely to develop depression as men over their lifetimes(p.36) and if a woman has midlife depression, that elevates her risk for dementia. (p.37). Menopause happens when a woman has her last menstrual period and is no longer fertile – usually around her forties or fifties – although a woman who’s had a hysterectomy will experience menopause sooner. In The XX Brain, Lisa meticulously guides us in the ways we can both nourish and protect ourselves, body and mind, to ensure our brains remain resilient throughout our lives.”

And chapter 1 ends with a paragraph explaining that transwomen and the aging brain is not well researched. (p.14) Does not mention that women without children and their aging brains is not well researched, so why are they not mentioned? Studies of brains pre- and post-menopause show that activity decreases as estrogen levels drop. At the same time, a key indicator of Alzheimer’s disease – the level of amyloid plaques in the brain – increases. Memory centers in the brain also shrink. It turns out that menopause increases the risk of dementia in 80 percent of women. This is a very practical book full of scientific research and advices to empower us with knowledge and insights into our brain and into how to prevent us from everyday stress, forgetfulness, brain fogs to serious brain diseases like Dementia, Alzheimer’s and depression... It is also full of information on guiding us to face common menopause complications for women facing it or even young women to learn how to prevent those complications and age gracefully. And the book does not just stop here, brain health is also about keeping ourselves physically and intellectually challenged - from exercising, meditation to play board games, read books, learn a new language or new musical instrument and being engaged with our friends and communities... Alzheimer’s isn’t a natural part of getting older or necessarily hereditary – it’s usually preventable. Apart from the typical symptoms like hot flashes, the drop in estrogen has an enormous impact on the brain. Many women find they struggle with depression and anxiety. Some even experience bipolar or schizophrenic symptoms for the first time. On top of that, menopause makes women more susceptible to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.