![\"Angus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/17f6f74b2fa62383f85eea09c82df746bb618825774b1f0e129e57cd588b1b71.png\")
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January 12, 2026 \u2014 7:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n When Vivian Dunstan hit menopause about four years ago, life suddenly got much harder.<\/p>\n Diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in her 50s, Dunstan had struggled with staying attentive and on time at various stages of her life. But menopause intensified these tendencies. She was overwhelmed easily, had a shorter fuse, and found her capacity to juggle multiple projects had disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just feels like that margin I used to have to cope with life has gone,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything\u2019s a bit more effort now.\u201d<\/p>\n Her experience is not unique. In an Australian study involving 600 women diagnosed with ADHD, almost all (97 per cent) who had been through menopause reported their symptoms worsened during that period.<\/p>\n ADHD has historically been associated with hyperactive boys but is increasingly being diagnosed in women<\/a>, who are more likely to display the inattentive traits associated with the condition.<\/p>\n This means the effect of women\u2019s hormones on ADHD symptoms has attracted little research \u2013 something the authors of the study, to be published in the February edition of the Journal of Psychiatric Research<\/a>, wanted to tackle by investigating their influence across key life stages.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could be helping these women who are experiencing changes \u2026 getting to the underlying mechanism, and seeing how we might be able to improve their treatments,\u201d said lead author and Monash PhD candidate Elyssa Osianlis.<\/p>\n Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich, a clinical neuropsychologist and co-author of the study, said menopause causes a drop in levels of oestrogen, which shields the brain against inflammation and cell death.<\/p>\n \u201cOur brains adapt, but that transition phase, for many women, is a time of vulnerability,\u201d Gurvich said. \u201cThat\u2019s when it seems to highlight, or perhaps uncover, an ADHD there\u2019s always been there.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 70 per cent of women surveyed reported their ADHD symptoms worsened after giving birth. Eighty-eight per cent said their ADHD changed over their menstrual cycle, with most (74 per cent) reporting worse symptoms during the luteal (second half) of their cycle.<\/p>\n Related Article The next stage of the research is to use brain imaging and hormone analysis to build cognitive profiles of women with ADHD, Gurvich said.<\/p>\n Dr Kristi Griffiths, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Sydney who was not involved with the study, said the survey was a first step towards understanding the role of female sex hormones on mental health over a lifetime.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, research has taken the easier route, which is males with their more steady systems,\u201d Griffiths said. \u201cWomen with ADHD brains are already having to work harder to help them be organised and motivated, but these [hormonal changes] just add another challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunstan, who founded ADHD Support Australia to help others navigate their diagnosis, said the research was validating for women with ADHD who had received late diagnoses or noticed things becoming harder in midlife.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen have been thinking, \u2018it\u2019s just me\u2019, and they\u2019re just trying to push themselves harder instead of being a bit kinder to themselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Vivian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/b242dcae497005d877862bb36ed37e6b20b62f43.jpeg\")
Vivian Dunstan was diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s and noticed her symptoms worsen during menopause. Max Mason-Hubers<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/f8b36a439c4de58a5dc54168b41348697f1360ab.gif\")
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