Tonight: What’s actually happening in perimenopausal brains, the senator officially targeting the abortion pill, Wall Street’s interest in women’s health — plus more.

THE BRAIN FOG IS REAL, BUT NOT WHAT YOU THINK // A study examining over 14,000 women ages 45 through 55 found perimenopausal and postmenopausal women report significantly more cognitive symptoms, such as brain fog and memory lapses, than premenopausal women. But objective cognitive testing showed almost no meaningful decline — and those symptoms were more strongly linked to mood, anxiety, and sleep than to measurable cognitive deficits.

WALL STREET FINALLY NOTICING (AGAIN) // The Health of Women Investor Summit at Nasdaq drew major pharma, VCs, banks, and other investors, a sign women’s health has made the move from edge case to capital priority. Funds in the space have grown 6x since the summit began, and McKinsey estimates that improving women’s health could add more than $1 trillion a year to the global economy, reflecting how large — and long overlooked — the gap is.

ABORTION PILL OFFICIALLY TARGETED IN CONGRESS // Republican Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to strip FDA approval from mifepristone, the pill used in roughly 63% of US abortions. This is unlikely to get serious consideration in the Senate, as the Trump administration has tried to avoid unpopular abortion restrictions before the midterms. But expect it to become the new litmus test for Republicans. Keep in mind that the FDA says the drug is safe, backed by 25 years of data and a serious-complication rate under 1%.

…AND THE STORY FEW PREDICTED // The New York Review of Books has a deeply reported history of how the number of abortions has risen every year since 2022, even after the Supreme Court ended Roe vs. Wade. The answer isn’t a surprise to readers: it’s the abortion pill and telehealth. But the piece explains in great precision how we got here. (And why people like Hawley are targeting the pill.)

THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS HIDING INSIDE MENOPAUSE // Most women still aren’t aware menopause can affect mental health — a UK survey found only 28% knew it could trigger depression or anxiety. Meanwhile, evidence suggests perimenopause raises the risk of first-time major depression by ~30%, underscoring how often these symptoms are missed or misdiagnosed.