Brave & Curious with Dr Lora Shahine6 Okt

Ep 182 Are Your Hormones Giving You ADHD with Dr. Jolene Brighten

Have you suddenly found it harder to focus, stay organized, or remember why you walked into a room? Can hormonal changes during your menstrual cycle or perimenopause make ADHD symptoms worse? And how can you tell the difference between ADHD and hormone-related brain fog?

In this episode of Brave & Curious, Dr. Lora Shahine sits down with author of the brand-new book ADHD and Women, Dr. Jolene Brighten.

Together they explore ADHD in women and the powerful connection between hormones and the brain. They discuss why ADHD often looks different in women, why so many women aren't diagnosed until their 30s and 40s, and how shifts in estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones throughout the menstrual cycle and perimenopause can affect executive function, focus, motivation, mood, and emotional regulation.

You'll learn how to recognize common signs of ADHD in women, why symptoms may intensify before your period or during perimenopause, and what other conditions, including thyroid dysfunction and iron deficiency, should be ruled out.

Dr. Brighten also shares practical strategies for supporting brain health through exercise, sleep, and nutrition; what to know about ADHD medications and hormone therapy; and how tracking your symptoms can help you have a more productive conversation with your healthcare provider.

In this episode you'll hear:

[1:09] Meet Dr. Jolene Brighten
[2:41] What ADHD really is
[6:50] How ADHD shows up in girls
[8:41] Dr. Brighten's diagnosis story
[11:56] Signs to watch for
[14:47] Perimenopause or ADHD
[20:11] Rule out thyroid and iron
[24:47] How to talk to your doctor
[28:43] Exercise, sleep, & brain energy
[35:15] Medication & evidence
[44:24] Hormones & brain development
[46:37] Superpower vs. disability
[49:08] Advice for late diagnosis

Resources mentioned:

drbrighten.com

@drjolenebrighten on Instagram

Buy the book: drbrighten.com/adhd-and-women

Dr. Shahine's Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations

Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books

Join the Learn at Pinnacle app to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode!

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(182)

Ep 181 Preeclampsia and Your Heart: Why Pregnancy Predicts Your Future Cardiac Health

Can preeclampsia affect your health long after pregnancy ends? Does high blood pressure during pregnancy increase your future risk of heart disease or stroke? And what can you do now to protect your c...

22 Sep 13min

Ep 180 Do Fertility Medications Cause Cancer? What the Research Actually Says

Do fertility medications increase the risk of breast cancer? Could IVF raise the chances of ovarian or uterine cancer later in life? And how can you separate scientific fertility research from fear-pr...

8 Sep 16min

Ep 179 How to Prepare for Your First Fertility Doctor Appointment: What to Ask & What to Expect

How can you make the most out of your first fertility visit? What should you bring? What should you be prepared to talk about? And what questions can help you leave the consultation feeling informed, ...

25 Aug 25min

Ep 178 PCOS Got a New Name: PMOS with Dr. Allison Rodgers

Why is PCOS being renamed? And what does the new name PMOS mean? Could irregular periods, acne, hair growth, hair loss, or insulin resistance be signs of a larger whole-body condition? And does a PCOS...

11 Aug 1h

Ep 177 Too Old to Conceive? When is it Too Late?

Can you be too old to conceive? What does it really mean when celebrities have babies over 50? And when fertility treatments like IVF, donor eggs, frozen eggs, and embryo transfer make pregnancy possi...

28 Jul 14min

Ep 176 Acupuncture and IVF Success with Hannah Pearn

Can acupuncture really support IVF success? When should you start fertility acupuncture if you're trying to conceive? And how do you know whether an acupuncturist is truly trained in fertility care, o...

14 Jul 1h

Ep175 IUDs and Your Fertility with Dr. Said Daneshmand

Can a hormonal IUD affect your fertility later? If you used a progestin IUD, should you take it out months before trying to conceive? And how do patients make sense of fertility advice when even docto...

30 Jun 38min