No One Told Me That Losing My Ovaries Could Cost Me My Brain
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Raluca Pricop works with the biology of change. She guides high-achieving women through natural menopause and health transition. Her unique expertise of 15+ corporate, mixed with multidisciplinary studies in biochemistry, law, nursing, and coaching, is solidified by her own experience of surgical menopause and complex recovery.
There is a special kind of terror in forgetting your own voice. Not the sound of it, but the very words it’s supposed to form. I stood in a studio, microphone live, host smiling, waiting for my expert insight. And my mind served me a perfect, pristine blank. Not a stumble. A void. In two languages, no words and no thoughts. In two months since I had my ovaries removed, I went from a woman who could sense a shift in the room's energy to one who couldn't navigate her own house without conferring with a wall.
Every vertebra, every joint felt fused, and getting out of bed became a battle. I lived this for two years, and now I’m standing on the other side.
Menopause when hormone therapy isn’t an option
Accepting this as my “new normal” felt like intellectual surrender, so I dove into building my own targeted, science-backed way out.
My journey, from cognitive free-fall to a sharper mind and a body almost as flexible as in my teen years, wasn't powered by a miracle drug (HRT wasn't an option for me), but by research, cutting-edge science, and actionable self-care, which involved biohacking, aiming to mobilize my entire biology in defence of my brain.
The objective was to utilize neuroplasticity to compel the brain to create new, sturdy pathways and rebuild connections that had been surgically severed. And I've turned every piece of my cognitive and physical rebuilding into a clear, actionable protocol.
The scientific risk of surgical menopause and cognitive decline
Let's start with the science. Landmark studies, including the decades-long Mayo Clinic Cohort of Oophorectomy and Aging, are clear, removal of the ovaries before natural menopause significantly elevates our lifetime risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and Parkinson-like pathologies.
In fact, the younger you are, the greater the risk. And the worst part for me, while HRT was medically off the table, “sorry, no other options are available”. And this is how I became a walking, bumping into things statistic. But I was the one forgetting my words, and why I stood up, and what I wanted to say.
No need to mention that “a statistic” doesn’t experience the surreal comedy of my own head testing the doorknob’s resilience. That was my reality.
My menopause crisis: Losing my mind and my proprioception
Before, my proprioception was my gimmick: no falls, no stumbles, pure high achiever’s focus and coordination. Post-op, I developed a passionate, bruise-based relationship with my hallway.
I’d calculate the turn, my brain would send the signal, and my body would throw me into the wall, just like during NCAP testing, the wall won every time.
It was like living with a drunk, uncoordinated roommate who happened to be me. The "fog" wasn't poetic, it was a cognitive wet blanket. My words were swimming somewhere out of reach.
Decisiveness? Gone. Was this "getting older" or "being tired”? Actually, it was “just” surgical menopause, and my central nervous system, stripped of estrogen, was thrown into survival mode. So, did I give up and accept my “fate”?
How to protect your brain without HRT
Here are five of the most powerful strategies I integrated, all supported by research on brain health and neuroplasticity:
5 Proven ways to improve brain function during menopause (without HRT)
Accepting the whole thing as my "new normal" felt like intellectual surrender. But giving up on myself? No way! I survived a double mastectomy and now, what?
I dove into the research. And I absolutely found what I was looking for, I tested it and thrived. Allow me to share my story and findings with you.
1. Movement for brain health
Boosting my body’s other estrogen production mechanisms and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is a protein that acts like a “brain fertiliser”, played a crucial role.
To begin with, I couldn’t "work out". I mean, the pain in my body was beyond compare, it made me feel like the post-mastectomy recovery was a walk in the park. Therefore, I turned to Yoga Therapy, shifting each session into a targeted delivery system for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), fascia and proprioception training.
Using the mind-body connection was by far my game changer. Because I didn’t "just fight the inflammation” ageing my brain, I recalibrated the entire communication network between my mind and body.
Fascia, our body's connective tissue web, acts like a physical nervous system. It's packed with sensory receptors that tell our brain where we are in space. During menopause, most women experience a proprioception disaster.
Gentle, specific fascial mobilization became my proprioceptive retraining. I didn’t “just” stretch, I biohacked my neuroplasticity. And, yes, the attraction between my little toe and the furniture faded, my shoulders divorced the door frame, and my body turned into an ally again.
2. Sleep optimization, the brain’s repair window in menopause
Compromised sleep is a cognitive crime that partners with menopause. So, I became a sleep activist. To be honest, I didn’t have much choice.
Because during sleep our brain files memories, power-washes toxins, and rebalances neurotransmitters, the research went deeper. Just “prioritizing” deep, regenerative sleep wasn't enough.
I began introducing a sleep hygiene routine (no screen time, no eating and drinking late, red light therapy, meditation) and identifying the sleep killer factors. Soon, I found myself researching and testing natural relaxing supplements that bypass the brain barrier, everything else was just expensive urine.
Allow me to tell you that every apparent little thing helped me regain my long forgotten early childhood quality sleep.
3. Stress management techniques to heal the nervous system
An overthinking brain in constant "fight-or-flight" is a brain that can't think, plan, or remember clearly. And for me, chronic stress was a lifetime husband that I didn’t get to choose.
Stress not only changes our whole biochemistry, but it also shrinks the hippocampus, our memory centre. Therefore, I studied and deployed mind-body tools like deliberate breathwork, endorphins (the “feel good hormone”) boosting methods, meditation, not as relaxation, but as direct neurological interventions to lower cortisol and restore my executive function.
And one more thing, boundaries! That was something I wish I mastered sooner. But, hey, better late than never, right?
I’ve cut out toxic people without guilt, I’ve let go of things out of my control, shrank my ego, and people pleasing no longer mattered. I have literally less f@ks to give.
4. Neuroplasticity, the best skill in menopause
Our brain’s fantastic capacity to rewire and form new connections through learning and repetition is called neuroplasticity. I took on new skills, from brushing my teeth with my non-dominant hand to complex balance yoga poses. This is cognitive cross-training. It forces the brain to build alternative routes, strengthening neural networks so a glitch in one pathway doesn't cause a complete blackout of the entire system.
5. Nutrition for cognitive health in menopausal brain
Our brain’s power plants are mitochondria (organelles found in our cells). When these little buddies are dysfunctional, cells cannot produce enough energy, directly affecting the brain, muscles, heart, and liver. They require specific nutrients to produce energy, and they are highly sensitive to toxins and poor nutrition.
Let this sink in. I focused on a Mediterranean-style, low-glycaemic index effect (simply said it doesn’t give spikes in blood sugar and hot flushes as a result). I introduced an omega-3-rich diet not to lose weight, but to power up and cool down my neural circuits, and to protect the heart.
This dietary pattern is proven to support cognitive longevity by reducing vascular inflammation and oxidative stress.
I started journaling (I hated it, but it was much needed) with the aim of identifying trigger factors for hot flushes and poor sleep. The results? Let's just say they hit different when you're the lab rat.
And this is how I gave up my holy trinity: processed sugar, alcohol, and the hardest goodbye, coffee. Yes, the sacred bean. Because it’s a natural diuretic, basically a mineral burglar that robs our body of what it desperately needs when we're already running on a deficit.
P.S. I forgot to mention that 5 months post-surgery, I was already diagnosed with the silent killer, severe osteoporosis (a subject for another article).
Sometimes the most rebellious act of self-love isn't doing more, but getting rid of the things that were secretly working against us. Despite one of them smelling like morning heaven.
Related article: Foods linked to better brainpower
Cognition and physical grace in menopause
The journey wasn't linear. The day I realised I had a coherent, deep conversation without any blackouts, I nearly wept. The moment complex thoughts flowed again, seamlessly, during a keynote, I felt a power no hormone could ever give me: the power of self-rescue.
At 47, I finally got my head straight (literally) by standing on it for the first time in 37 years. Gravity was confused. I was triumphant.
And the science is unequivocal: lifestyle exerts a massive, independent effect on brain health.
When one pillar (hormones) falls, we no longer crumble. We reinforce the other five with militant self-love. We exploit our body’s inner ability to adapt and heal by creating the most favourable circumstances.
Think of it this way: if our brain’s usual VIP entertainer (estrogen) quits, we don’t just let the whole place shut down. We hire a whole new, badass team: quality sleep, healing food, movement that doesn’t feel like chores, and a healthy mindset in charge of the whole thing. The show must go on, and, trust me, the acoustics get better.
Begin your menopausal brain protection journey
Your brain is not a passive bystander. It is a workable, responsive magic organ waiting for the right instructions. If you feel the fog, the disconnection, the unspoken fear of “I don’t recognise myself anymore”, know this is a biological problem with a biological solution, and you hold far more control than you've been told.
However, this journey requires a map. To start rewiring your mind-body connection, join me for the next session of The Menopause-Specific Fascia Protocol and learn how to do it effectively.
And if you wish to have an open conversation regarding your specific challenges, needs, and wants, check my calendar and book a call with me (no obligations and no sales).
Read more from Raluca Ioana Pricop
Raluca Ioana Pricop, Menopause Performance Holistic Coach & Consultant
Raluca Pricop works at the intersection of biohacking, neuroscience, and embodied performance. Surgical menopause and complex recovery stripped away her mental sharpness and physical strength at the height of her professional life, while HRT was medically contraindicated. What followed was not reinvention by inspiration, but a mindset burst triggered by necessity. With 15+ years in corporate and an academic background in biochemistry, law, nursing, and coaching, Raluca helps women rebuild alignment between body, mind, and identity, turning menopause into the most intelligent upgrade of their life.
Scientific Sources & Further Reading:
Rocca WA, Grossardt BR, Shuster LT. Oophorectomy, menopause, estrogen, and cognitive aging: the Mayo Clinic Cohort Study of Oophorectomy and Aging. Lancet Neurology. 2007;6(11):910–918.
Sherwin BB. Estrogen and cognitive functioning in women: Lessons from human studies. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2003;28(1):319–334.
Erickson KI, et al. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. PNAS. 2011;108(7):3017–3022.
Smith PJ, et al. The impact of sleep and stress on cognitive aging: Evidence-based strategies for neuroprotection. Nat Rev Neurol. 2018;14:187–197.
Lourida I, et al. Lifestyle factors and risk of dementia: Evidence from observational studies. Lancet Neurol. 2019;18:481–493.
Walker, M.P. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.
McEwen, B.S. "Neurobiological and Systemic Effects of Chronic Stress." Chronic Stress, 2017
Park, D.C., & Bischof, G.N. "The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training." Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.
Scarmeas, N., et al. "Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline." Annals of Neurology.
Schleip, R., et al. Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body. Elsevier, 2012.
