“This is an important first study examining menopausal experiences in ADHD, which demonstrates that the presence of ADHD may impact how women perceive and attribute their experiences during the menopause. This has implications for how women are supported during this time, both with their ADHD and the menopause.”
Professor Ellie Dommett, Professor of Neuroscience at King’s IoPPN and the study’s senior author
31 July 2025
Menopausal difficulties increase in line with the severity of ADHD symptoms
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London established a complex relationship between ADHD and the menopause in which menopausal symptoms and ADHD symptoms may differ in those with and without a diagnosis, and those on and off medication, as well as establishing that worse ADHD symptom scores were associated with worse menopausal complaints.
The research, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, challenges previously held beliefs about the relationship.
ADHD is associated with several difficulties that overlap with menopausal complaints, including disruptions to sleep, difficulties with memory and concentration, and overall wellbeing. Despite this overlap, there has been little research into the menopausal experiences of women with ADHD.
Researchers in this study wanted to explore three questions. First, whether women with ADHD experience worse menopausal complaints than those without. Second, whether the use of medication impacts this. Third, whether ADHD symptoms correlate with menopausal complaints.
656 women between the age of 45 and 60 were recruited to take part. 245 reported a formal diagnosis of ADHD, of which 107 took medication for this. All participants were asked to complete a series of questionnaires about their experiences.
Analysis of the data found that, while the nature of complaints differed across the stages of menopause (pre, peri, post), an ADHD diagnosis did not directly impact menopausal complaints. Premenopausal women reported fewer memory and concentration problems than perimenopausal women but not postmenopausal women. Perimenopausal women had significantly more psychosocial symptoms than both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Researchers then explored whether the menopausal complaints were affected by the use of ADHD medication but found no evidence that this was the case.
Researchers finally explored the relationship between ADHD traits and menopausal complaints. They found that as ADHD traits increased, so did many menopausal difficulties when all participants were considered together.
Further analysis found that, for those with ADHD but not taking medication, ADHD symptoms correlated only with menopausal complaints of anxiety, depression, memory, and concentration.
For those on medication, correlations were found between ADHD traits and difficulties with wellbeing, memory and concentration, psychosocial functioning and the interference in daily functioning caused by hot flushes and night sweats.
The differing relationships between ADHD traits and menopausal complaints in these groups could indicate women attribute their menopausal complaints differently if they have ADHD.
Examining the link between ADHD symptoms and menopausal experiences (DOI10.1177/10870547251355006) (Chapman, Dommett et al) was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.
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Professor of Neuroscience
Emeritus Professor of Clinical Health Psychology