ADHD and Hormones in Women: Why Symptoms Change Across Your Cycle and in Perimenopause | Agnes K. Simone & Annika Joya

ADHD and hormones are deeply connected, and shifts in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone may help explain why focus, mood, executive function, and even the experience of ADHD medication can change across the menstrual cycle and during perimenopause. View the full show notes and additional resources at https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/adhd-hormones-in-women/.

In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, I’m joined by board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Agnes K. Simone, MD and ADHD nutrition researcher Annika Joya, MS, for a conversation about what happens when ADHD meets the menstrual cycle, PMDD, and perimenopause. We talk about why some women feel like they have a completely different brain depending on the week of their cycle, why ADHD medication may feel less effective before a period, how estrogen interacts with dopamine, and why women can reach their 40s and suddenly feel like the systems that worked for decades no longer work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why the follicular phase may feel easier for some women with ADHD

How estrogen and dopamine interact in the ADHD brain

Why ADHD medication may feel different during the luteal phase—and why you should not change your dose without speaking with your prescriber

What to track for two cycles if your ADHD symptoms or medication response change before your period

How sleep, nutrition, stress, and eating consistency can influence how your brain feels

What premenstrual exacerbation (PME) is and how it differs from simply having “bad PMS”

Why some women describe PMDD as feeling like they become a completely different person before their period

Why PMDD isn’t simply a matter of being “low in progesterone”

How masking can allow ADHD in women to remain undiagnosed for decades