Not to put too fine a point on it, but even during this phase, women outperform men on those very same cognitive tests measuring memory, fluency, and some forms of attention. That’s true both before and after menopause. During the menopause transition, cognitive scores may take a dip, bringing women’s performance effectively within men’s range. In other words, the average menopausal woman performs just as well as the average man of the same age, who is not, of course, in menopause. (Take that, Darwin!)
