How do hormones affect Women with ADHD?
PMS, PMDD, PCOS, Perimenopause, Menopause
Hi ADHDers!
I hope you’re all having a great week.
I write this, curled up in bed, as it’s that time of the month for me.
For those who don’t know what I mean, I’m talking about my period.
I don't blame you if you’ve squirmed, squealed or even cringed. But it’s all a part of the circle of life, so let’s talk about it!
A couple of hours ago, I tweeted that “We need more research on hormones and how they impact Women with ADHD, especially when we’re on our periods”.
Since I’m stuck in bed, I’m going to share my initial thoughts.
Shall we begin?
ADHD, PMS and Me
“After ovulation, estrogen levels drop and progesterone levels rise. Both hormones are at their lowest levels in the days right before your period. That may also cause a drop in dopamine. For some women, that can mean a double whammy of worsening ADHD symptoms and PMS.” - WebMD, Stephanie Langmaid
There comes a time every month when my ADHD seems a lot harder to manage and cope with, and nothing works. The perpetrator is PMS!
Like all of a sudden, my meds are ineffective, I rarely have the motivation or mental clarity to adopt the many coping strategies in my arsenal, and I feel like I'm discombobulated.
Is this starting to sound familiar?
What is PMS and PMDD?
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) refers to symptoms women may experience before their period, including:
Feeling anxious, depressed
Fatigue
Poor concentration
Mood swings
Physical symptoms, e.g. bloating, cramps
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a much more severe form of PMS and symptoms include the above and also:
Increased sensitivity to rejection
Excessive sleeping or difficulty sleeping
I don’t know about you, but I realised many of these symptoms overlap with some ADHD symptoms and commonly linked traits.
For example, in this table, I mapped out:
I found that my ADHD meds are less effective in the days leading up to my period. According to an article I came across on WebMD:
“There’s some scientific evidence that stimulants have a greater effect when combined with estrogen. As those levels drop in the days leading up to your period, you may see your symptoms get worse.” - Stephanie Langmaid
Crappy!
Research
I am still in the early stages of reading what’s out there, there isn’t much and it’s all quite difficult to understand with the medical jargon. But here are links to articles on conditions I haven’t touched on:
Article on ADHD and Menopause.
Article on ADHD and PCOS
Article on ADHD and Menstrual Cycle
If you have any insights, experience or thoughts on hormonal impacts on ADHD, please share in the comments below.
That’s all from me,
Rach with ADHD.
Just also wanna put out there not just women are affected. It’s anyone with a uterus.
I keep trying to have this conversation with both my gyno and psychiatrist but neither of them had any useful insights or advice :/ now, all I do is track my symptoms, Instead of waiting for someone to finally care.
Here’s a quick summary of how it went if anyone is interested
For the past year I kept testing different scenarios to understand my patterns throughout the month. and how other factors reflect on how my adhd symptoms (like sleep, nutrition, hydration, stress levels, exercise, and meds/supplements).
I found that having a checklist made me more consistent with keeping track.
Although hectic, learning those patterns helped me manage EVERYTHING better -and I’m still improving- including what medication to take and when to plan my breaks/stop a certain medication.