Of all the things I've lost recently, I miss my mind the most.

Or, why did I come into this room? I came in for something, I wish I could remember what it was.

We were visiting with some friends the other day and talking about health issues. We were all female and between the ages of early forties to mid to late 50's. One friend stated that when she visited her doctor he told her that the loss of memory was unrelated to her menopause experience. He thinks that the memory loss comes from insomnia. I believe that the memory dysfunction is aggravated by the insomnia but not necessarily the cause, as any menopausal woman will likely agree.

Memory loss can be very irritating. I remember when my mother started to go through this and we would finish her sentences for her. It was quite fun for us. Now, when it's done to me I'm not near as nice as my mother was. She was always a good sport about it. Better than I am.

There are herbal supplements on the market that are marketed as memory enhancers. I caution women in various stages of menopause about taking these supplements, especially Ginko. The reason is that Ginko can have a "hot" side; that is, it can cause "heat" in women. Any woman already experiencing hot flashes or night sweats will not want to aggravate them even more.

So what can you? Well, one thing you can do to help with memory loss is to challenge yourself by playing games. I do word games and number games to figure things out and to remember sequences. It’s a great start to keeping your mind active.

To quote from Fiddle on the Roof, "I don't remember growing older." Perhaps that's a blessing.