women with ADHD: Latest News

What’s the leading cause of death among women worldwide?No, it’s not cancer. In fact, the number of worldwide deaths from all types of cancer combined is equivalent to half the number of fatalities caused by heart disease in women.More than 60 million women in the United States have heart disease — and for the large majority, serious cardiac problems begin in perimenopause when estrogen, which protects the heart, decreases dramatically.While the risk for cardiovascular disease increases in all women during perimenopause, women with ADHD may face an even greater risk than their non-ADHD peers.

May 27, 2025ADHD symptoms are impacted by changes in sex hormone levels in females across the lifespan, finds a new systematic review published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.1 The review included 11 studies that investigated puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, and the menstrual cycle and tracked changes in symptomology and in the efficacy of ADHD medication during these times.“There is an ADHD experience that is unique to females,” the study’s authors concluded. “Recognizing potential influences of sex hormones on ADHD symptoms in females may have key implications to clinical management and treatment of ADHD.”The study included several key findings.The research reviewed four studies that explored the fluctuation of ADHD symptoms during the menstrual cycle.

Less than 1% of published ADHD research is dedicated to women patients. This inequity is maddening, but less shocking when you consider the fact that ADHD was regarded as a strictly childhood disorder just 20 years ago. ADHD in adults did not exist, according to medical literature published a generation ago.During my psychiatry residency from 1987 to 1991, I only treated one adult with ADHD, a young man who was having difficulty in his medical school classes.

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Not available January 22? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.More and more neurodivergent women are starting their own businesses.

When my son Markus was diagnosed with ADHD at the age 12, I met with a psychologist to learn more about it. Instead of answering my questions, she told me to scale down my very ambitious son’s expectations so he wouldn’t be disappointed in life. Who would ever tell a child that? Not me.