Women with severe ADHD may experience worse menopause symptoms

A new study has found a correlation between more severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and menopause complaints, suggesting that menopausal difficulties increase in line with the severity of ADHD symptoms.

The research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders and examined the relationships between ADHD status (diagnosis and medication use) and symptoms, and menopause stage (pre/peri/post) and symptoms.

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.

It found that women with ADHD do not experience greater menopausal complaints than women without at any menopausal stage. However, there were significant correlations between ADHD symptoms and menopausal complaints across all participants.

Implications on how women with ADHD are supported during menopause

Researchers recruited a sample of 656 women aged 45 to 60 years, of whom 245 had an existing diagnosis of ADHD. Women completed several questionnaires assessing their ADHD symptoms (Adult Self-Report Scale, ASRS) and menopausal experiences (Women’s Health Questionnaire, WHQ; Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, MENQoL; Hot Flush Rating Scale, HFRS; Hot Flush Related Daily Interference Scale, HFDIS).

ADHD is associated with several difficulties that overlap with menopausal complaints, including disruptions to sleep, problems with memory and concentration, and overall well-being. Despite this overlap, there has been little research into the menopausal experiences of women with ADHD.

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 that women attribute their menopausal complaints differently if they have ADHD.

Professor Ellie Dommett, Professor of Neuroscience at King’s IoPPN and the study’s senior author said, “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.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

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