85: Dr. Jolene Brighten: ADHD and Perimenopause: Why Focus, Memory, and Motivation Change in Midlife

You can spend years holding everything together with anxiety, urgency, perfectionism, or sheer willpower, then hit perimenopause and suddenly feel like your brain stopped cooperating. Trouble focusing, emotional overwhelm, forgetfulness, procrastination, and feeling like you have completely lost your ability to multitask can all overlap with ADHD, which is exactly why so many women start asking questions in midlife.

In this episode of Hello Hormones, Dr. Jolene Brighten and I break down the connection between ADHD and perimenopause, including how shifting estrogen can affect dopamine, memory, motivation, and cognitive flexibility. We also talk about testosterone, blood sugar, sleep, exercise, thyroid and iron testing, and why symptoms that look like ADHD still deserve a full evaluation.

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a women's health expert, author, and clinician who specializes in helping women better understand the connection between their hormones and their brains. If you have ever wondered why the strategies that used to keep you organized, productive, and on top of everything suddenly are not working the same way, this episode will help you understand what may be changing and what is worth looking at next.

What's Discussed:

(1:56) Why getting good grades does not rule out ADHD in women.

(3:13) Why ADHD may suddenly feel harder to manage during perimenopause.

(6:38) How masking can make ADHD look very different in women and girls.

(10:50) Why perimenopause and ADHD symptoms can be so difficult to tell apart.

(13:15) Why late-night scrolling and shopping may be your brain trying to reclaim dopamine and personal time.

(16:14) How changing estrogen can affect focus, memory, motivation, and cognitive flexibility.

(23:53) Why low testosterone can feel like losing your motivation or "spark."

(29:35) How blood sugar swings can make ADHD and perimenopause symptoms feel worse.