Age 54 - last period at 48 - first symptoms at 43

Since the age of 43, I have been plagued by brain fog, short memory loss and substantial weight gain. I had a partial hysterectomy at 48, leaving my ovaries behind. Apart from the occasional hot flush over the subsequent 3 months (which I was told to expect), I have no other menopausal symptoms. The symptoms I've described have had a massive impact on my feelings of self-worth and capability in the workplace, as I KNOW my brain simply doesn't learn new technologies quickly any more (it's part of my job as an applications analyst to do this!), and it takes my writing copious notes and considerable reinforcement to retain new information these days. I am so conscious I am not the person I used to be. I haven't really had anyone around me discuss menopause. It would make a huge difference to have it acknowledged in the wider community that menopause does impact a woman's cognitive ability. Ideally this wouldn't be seen as an impairment, but rather provide the opportunity to put support in place to assist all women, as there's no escaping this particular life experience!