I chat with Lisa Alecci, life coach and founder of ADHD Freedom, about hormone fluctuations and their impact on ADHD. Lisa, who has ADHD herself, didn’t realize she had it until menopause hit. She explains why this happens and her thoughts on the broader conversations (or lack thereof) in our community.

ADHD during menopause

Lisa explained estrogen decreases by about 65% during menopause. Estrogen is a key factor in the production and use of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. Lisa points out people with ADHD don't have enough of these in the first place which explains why executive function capabilities drop along with them. 

A rude awakening 

Lisa has had symptoms of ADHD her whole life. It wasn't until her daughters were diagnosed with ADHD she started to wonder. She explains the symptoms her daughters were experiencing were things she also experienced but assumed everyone was the same. 

It wasn't until she started going into menopause things started to get worse for Lisa. She was in her early 40s and noticed she started to lose things. Lisa also experienced confusion, at the time she was in a corporate career and her performance became inconsistent. 

Is it Alzheimer's?

Thinking she might have early-onset Alzheimer's, Lisa went for a test. She didn't have Alzheimer's and it would take missing more deadlines at work to get to the bottom of what was going on. 

She saw Dr William Dodson and he diagnosed Lisa with ADHD. 

Managing hormones

When Lisa's estrogen dropped her ADHD symptoms became more pronounced. ADHD medication and finding the right dose have helped her manage a lot better. 

Lisa's links 

Website

About The Adulting With ADHD Podcast

It’s not just you – we aren’t talking enough about ADHD and hormones. There are so many things I wish I had known about hormones and ADHD earlier. They play such a fundamental role in the human body, deeply impacting a person’s life at all of their life stages.

As a former journalist and current ADHD’er, I unpack this topic through patient stories, expert interviews, and personal narrative.

With new episodes biweekly on Wednesdays, The Adulting With ADHD Podcast covers a variety of ADHD hormone topics including puberty, menopause, perimenopause, PMS, PMDD, and more. Why aren’t we talking about this more? What do you do if you find yourself struggling with ADHD and hormones? We discuss this and much more.

Need basic info about ADHD and hormones? Get the free quick guide at https://adultingwithadhd.com/hormones.

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