Why So Many Women Are Discovering ADHD in Midlife
ADHD and mental health insights, podcasts, and resources from Lightfooted Pathways
Welcome to the first Footnotes post! This is space I’m creating for sharing selections and things I come across that I think are worth your time: podcasts, ideas, and small takeaways to carry with you along your path.
I’m starting with an podcast my colleague, Jennifer Waters, shared with me and I wish more people could hear. In my practice, I’m seeing more and more women in their forties and fifties who are suddenly asking, ‘Why is everything so hard now?’
About the episode
In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver talks with Dr. Sasha Hamdani, take a funny and approachable approach to discussing the science and real-life experiences of why so many woman are discovering ADHD for the first time in midlife.
Key insights
Perimenopause doesn’t cause ADHD. It unmasks it. Many women spend decades masking and compensating ADHD symptoms, and the conversation explains how estrogen may have been helping to hold that scaffolding in place. As hormone levels shift, the coping strategies that once worked can stop working and seemingly out of nowhere, life can feel a lot harder.
ADHD often looks different in women. It’s frequently the inattentive ADHD type that surfaces, which is easy to overlook, rather than the hyperactive presentation much of the diagnostic criteria were built around. That gap has left generations of high-achieving women undiagnosed but as perimenopause impacts focus, working memory sleep, and emotional regulation - the real life impacts can appear quickly.
The brain fog has a biological side. The episode explores the link between declining estrogen and dopamine, and what that can mean for memory, focus, and executive function. - all of which impact the ability to manage ADHD. Old coping strategies stop working and new ones are needed.
There are options. The episode also touches on how hormone therapy fits in, how different ADHD assessment work during perimenopause, and how stimulant and nonstimulant medications differ.
My Footnote
This episode puts a spotlight on experiences I’ve seen clients have and my own life experiences. It’s easy for many woman to ignore the signs and try to struggle through but taking the time to step-back and rebuild the scaffolding to manage and thrive is key. One thing that’s been clinically proven time and again is the positive effects of exercise to both manage perimenopause and ADHD.
If you’ve been wondering whether what you’re experiencing is “just” perimenopause, stress, or something more, you’re not alone, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not failing!
If this resonated and you’d like support, I’d love to hear from you - setup a time for a free 15-minute session.
Listen to the episode
This post is for information and reflection and isn’t medical advice. Questions about hormone therapy or medication are best discussed with your doctor or prescriber.
