Sorry, I Missed This: The Everything Guide to ADHD and Relationships with Cate Osborn17 Jun 2025

How hormones hijack focus, mood, and energy

ADHD in women is often misunderstood, even by ourselves — and hormones are a big part of the story.

This week, host Cate Osborn chats with psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Lotta Borg Skoglund about how hormone cycles affect ADHD in women. From PMS to perimenopause, we explore how shifting hormones can change how ADHD shows up — and how that impacts mood, focus, and relationships.

Dr. Borg Skoglund shares what the research says, what often gets overlooked in diagnosis and treatment, and how understanding the patterns in your cycle can make everyday life a little easier.

Related resources

ADHD Girls to Women by Dr. Lotta Borg Skoglund
Lotta’s research group, GODDESS ADHD
A guide to hormones and ADHD
From the Climbing the Walls podcast: Are hormones the final frontier for women with ADHD?

Timestamps

(01:42) The changes in hormones during the menstrual cycle, and how they can affect ADHD symptoms

(04:57) ADHD symptoms across hormonal life milestones like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause

(10:21) The formation of Lotta’s research group GODDESS ADHD

(14:25) The importance of this overdue research, and the constant dismissal of women’s hormonal challenges

(17:12) Mapping your cycle to help understand your ADHD symptom fluctuations

(21:10) How do we track these things if our cycles are non-traditional?

(24:06) How do hormones connect to Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Sorry, I Missed This show page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at sorryimissedthis@understood.org.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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