Memory Issues and Mood Swings: Menopause or ADHD?

Forgetfulness, mood swings and poor sleep can be signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or menopause.

A new study from King’s College London (KCL) explored how these conditions overlap. Published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, the researchers found that while menopause doesn’t appear to worsen ADHD symptoms overall, the way symptoms are perceived and reported may vary depending on diagnosis and medication use.

ADHD and menopause affect women’s health and diagnosis

ADHD was once thought to be a childhood condition; however, it’s now clear it affects people across their lifespan. In women, the condition is often missed. Diagnosis is delayed, sometimes by decades, as the standard criteria were developed with boys in mind. Symptoms in women are also more likely to be masked by anxiety, depression or other conditions. As a result, women with ADHD often face worse academic and work outcomes, higher rates of mental health issues and lower quality of life.

Meanwhile, the menopause brings long-term hormonal shifts – including a drop in estrogen. Estrogen helps regulate dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in attention, motivation and memory. As estrogen levels decline, dopamine can drop too, potentially exacerbating ADHD symptoms. This link is well-supported in menstrual cycle studies, where ADHD symptoms spike during the lowest estrogen phase. However, these studies have focused on short, monthly, cycles, compared to the menopause transition, which can last over a decade.

“Research on ADHD to date has failed to capture the most long-lasting hormonal changes that occur during a woman’s lifespan, that is, when she transitions out of her reproductive years,” said the authors.

The new study is the first to directly examine how ADHD and menopause interact – across symptoms, medication use and menopause stage. 

ADHD, menopause symptoms and medication

The cross-sectional study involved 656 women in the UK, aged 45–60 years. They were split into 3 groups: 411 without ADHD, 107 with ADHD who were taking medication and 138 with ADHD who weren’t. All participants completed a series of validated questionnaires covering ADHD symptoms (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) and various aspects of menopause, including physical, cognitive and emotional impacts (The Women’s Health Questionnaire, The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire, The Hot Flush Rating Scale and The Hot Flush Related Daily Interference Scale).

They found no clear differences in menopausal complaints between those with and without ADHD, even when they factored in whether someone was pre-, peri- or postmenopausal, and being on ADHD medication didn’t seem to change that.

However, when looking at symptom correlations across the whole sample, women with greater ADHD symptoms also reported more severe menopausal complaints. This link was strongest in women without a formal ADHD diagnosis.

For those on medication, higher ADHD symptoms were tied to worse well-being, more memory and concentration problems and more disruption from hot flushes. In the unmedicated group, the link was mostly with anxiety, depression and memory issues.

One possible explanation is that women with ADHD may interpret some symptoms, such as brain fog or forgetfulness, as part of their ADHD rather than the menopause. Medication might also shape how symptoms are perceived or managed.

Why understanding ADHD and menopause together matters for care

The study found no clear evidence that menopause makes ADHD symptoms worse overall; however, the overlap between the two is complicated. Many symptoms can belong to either condition, or both, making diagnosis and treatment harder, especially for women seeking ADHD support in midlife.

Support during menopause should consider both hormonal changes and neurodevelopmental conditions. A woman might not need more ADHD medication – she might be perimenopausal.

“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,” said senior author Dr. Ellie Dommett, a professor of neuroscience at KCL.

There are limits to what this study can show since ADHD diagnoses were self-reported. Most participants were white and based in the UK, so the results may not be generalizable. The study was also a snapshot in time, as the team didn’t investigate how symptoms shift across the full menopause transition. Women using hormone therapy or who had a surgically induced menopause were also excluded.

Longer-term studies are needed to track how symptoms change and clinical assessments, not just symptom checklists, might help separate ADHD from menopause more clearly.

“This has implications for how women are supported during this time, both with their ADHD and the menopause,” Dommett added.

Reference: Chapman L, Gupta K, Hunter MS, Dommett EJ. Examining the link between ADHD symptoms and menopausal experiences. J Atten Disord. 2025:10870547251355006. doi: 10.1177/10870547251355006

This article is a rework of a press release issued by King’s College London. Material has been edited for length and content.