Women who are starting to reach the transitional age of menopause may have something to worry about before more common symptoms like hot flashes: a decrease in their ability to process information.

At David Geffen Medical Center at UCLA, scientists tested 2,362 women over the age of 40 to see how the changes caused before menopause affected their cognitive abilities, especially at the stages right before menopause where they had scores that were a fraction of their pre-menopause abilities.

"The good news is that the effect of perimenopause on learning seems to be temporary," says Dr Gail Greendale, adding that the mental capabilities of those studied returned to their original levels after menopause.

But alternative methods to increase cognition may be beneficial for women who want to limit some of the temporary reductions.

Walnuts have been shown by the Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center to help improve cognition because of the link between ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid that is also contained in certain nutritional supplements, and maintained brain function.

Using chamomile or other herbal supplements to help get a better night’s sleep may also help limit some of the foggy feelings, according to researchers at the Center for Sleep and Consciousness who found that proper rest helped the brain reset for more learning the following day.