The Menopausal Brain with Kyler Hijmans

These insights are based on Kyler Hijmans, DNP, FNP-BC’s presentation at the June 23 Women’s Wellness Event: Menopause Reimagined. During the session, Kyler explored the menopausal transition through a neurological and systems-based lens, highlighting how declining estradiol and related hormonal shifts influence brain structure, metabolism, and function. The discussion focused on how menopause is not only a reproductive transition, but also a brain transition that can affect cognition, mood, sleep, and stress resilience.

Menopause is often discussed in terms of hormonal shifts, but its impact extends far beyond reproductive biology. One of the most important, and often least understood, areas of change occurs in the brain.Declining estradiol plays a central role in brain changes during menopause. These hormonal shifts trigger structural, metabolic, functional, and molecular changes throughout the brain that can influence cognition, mood, sleep, and overall resilience. Research shows that brain-related symptoms affect up to 80 percent of women during the menopausal transition.

If you have ever felt like you “do not feel like yourself anymore,” you are not alone. These experiences are common, biologically driven, and often temporary with the right support.