Past research on ADHD was typically conducted on men. It was believed that the symptoms were the same for women.
However, it is increasingly being demonstrated that hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone can have a significant impact on women’s ADHD symptoms.
✍️Current research suggests low levels of dopamine contribute to ADHD symptoms such as difficulties with emotional regulation, motivation, and attention. Oestrogen influences the release of dopamine, with lower oestrogen being associated with lower dopamine.
⚠️This means the week leading up to your period where oestrogen and dopamine are likely to be lower also means a harder time getting things done.
💪However, higher levels of oestrogen in week 2 of the menstrual cycle can result in a reduction of ADHD symptoms and increased motivation, clarity of thought and energy.
For some women, this may explain why their symptoms seem to rise and fall through the month or why women experiencing menopause are suddenly finding their symptoms more challenging than before.
How can this knowledge help?
Understanding how your cycle can impact your symptoms can be a game changer as symptoms become more predictable.
📆Having a period tracker and recording fluctuations in ADHD symptoms alongside your cycle can allow you to predict your best (and worst) times to be productive. Some apps will tell you what is typically happening to hormone levels so you can track how these changes may impact your symptoms.
The research is still limited in this area and especially when examining the impact of hormones on ADHD symptoms in pregnancy and menopause.
📧Message me to discuss more about how to make your ADHD symptoms more predictable and strategies for managing challenging times.
References:
Haimov-Kochman, R., & Berger, I. (2014). Cognitive functions of regularly cycling women may differ throughout the month, depending on sex hormone status; a possible explanation to conflicting results of studies of ADHD in females. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 191
Roberts, B., Eisenlohr-Moul, T., & Martel, M. M. (2018). Reproductive steroids and ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 88, 105-114.
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