Unlocking the Power of the Female Brain with Dr. Sarah McKay S3E35

The Women’s Brain with Dr. Sarah McKay: PMS, Culture, Pregnancy Brain Changes & Menstrual Cycle Neuroscience   On the Period Besties Podcast, the hosts interview neuroscientist and author Dr. Sarah McKay (The Women’s Brain) about why women’s brains are adaptable rather than “broken” by hormones. McKay explains research showing huge cross-cultural variation in reported PMS (e.g., France ~12%, Switzerland ~10%, Spain ~73%, Iran ~96%), suggesting expectations and social context influence symptoms, and shares findings from objective mood-tracking studies showing most women’s mood varies more with stress, support, and sleep than cycle day. They discuss pregnancy-related brain reorganization (average ~4% cortical volume reduction in social cognition areas) linked to attachment and long-term changes, and why “baby brain” can reflect attention demands and lack of support. McKay reviews decades of data showing cognition is largely stable across the menstrual cycle, while brain networks can shift around ovulation, and emphasizes sleep and social connection as key supports; she also encourages volunteering for women’s brain research.   Dr. Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist and science communicator who simplifies brain science for health and well-being, performance, and creativity. Sarah completed her MSc and PhD in neuroscience at Oxford University. After relocating to Australia and completing five years of postdoctoral research on spinal cord injury, Sarah hung up her lab coat to establish Think Brain, which offers online professional development training in applied neuroscience and brain health. Sarah has written three books: The Women's Brain Book: The neuroscience of health, hormones, and happiness was published in 2018 (with a second edition due 2025). Her second book Baby Brain: The surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds (for the better), was published in 2023. Her third book on brain health is for the iconic ‘For Dummies’ brand.   www.drsarahmckay.com https://www.instagram.com/drsarahmckay/   Free gift: Women's Brain Health Briefing Weekly micro-briefings on the latest neuroscience research: clear, evidence-based and usable. https://drsarahmckay.com/newsletter/   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:28 Reframing the Female Brain 02:01 PMS and Culture Shock Data 05:16 Objective Mood Tracking Study 07:54 Empowerment and Attribution 10:45 Pregnancy Brain Rewiring 13:25 Matrescence Benefits vs Mum Brain 19:33 Supermom Myth and Support Systems 20:00 Menopause Brain Data Gaps 24:48 Individual Variation Across Life 26:59 What the Menstrual Cycle Does 28:55 Workplace Studies History 30:54 Sex Differences Tested 32:34 Mood Versus Cognition 33:41 Cognitive Load Analogy 35:31 Neurons And Estrous Cycle 37:14 Brain Networks Shift 39:25 PMDD Salience Network 42:02 Cycle Disorders Research Limits 44:49 Volunteer For Studies 46:20 Sleep And Social Support 48:12 Lightning Round And Wrap 50:56 Sponsors And Outro   Todays episode is sponsored by:Period Coaching School and Katie Bressack Wellness. Email us: [email protected] Our Websites:PeriodCoachingSchool.comKatieBressack.com Instagram and Facebook:@StashaWashburn @KatieBressack  Freebies:Charting with Stasha https://ThePeriodCoach.com/etrcEating For Your Hormones Guide https://katiebressack.com/freegift/ Books:The Revolution Will Be Bloody https://ThePeriodCoach.com/RevolutionBloody Brilliant Business https://PeriodCoachingSchool.com/Bloody-Brilliant-Business-book Eating For Your Hormones Recipe Book https://katiebressack.com/hormone-balancing-recipe-book/ Theme music composed, recorded, performed, engineered, mixed and mastered by Ted Wulfers 663 Sound