Ep 49 | ADHD & Perimenopause: WHY is My Brain DOING This?

Is it ADHD, perimenopause, or has your brain simply decided it has reached maximum capacity?

In this episode of OvaryActive, the Docs are talking about the very real overlap between ADHD symptoms and perimenopause. This includes brain fog, forgetfulness, disorganization, overwhelm, and the sudden inability to keep all those carefully balanced plates spinning.

ADHD may become more noticeable in midlife, especially for women whose inattentive symptoms went undiagnosed as kids. They explain what ADHD can actually look like in women, why old coping strategies may stop working during perimenopause, and when it might be worth getting a formal ADHD evaluation instead of assuming hormones are responsible for everything.

Sometimes the answer is hormones. Sometimes it's ADHD. Sometimes your brain has simply opened 47 tabs and refuses to tell you where the music is coming from.

You'll hear about ADHD versus perimenopause symptoms, hormone therapy and stimulants, estrogen and dopamine, study limitations, and why worsening ADHD symptoms in your late 30s or 40s may be worth discussing with your doctor. The research still has plenty of unanswered questions, but one thing is clear: if your mental gigabytes suddenly feel full, you're not imagining it.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:30] Why ADHD comes up NOW

[3:30] ADHD diagnosis basics

[7:38] ADHD Symptoms checklist

[12:04] Peri & ADHD tools

[17:35] Let's talk data!

[23:52] We hear you. We see you. You're not crazy.

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive

Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch

Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.