Untangling the Connection Between Perimenopause and ADHD: Understanding the Overlapping Symptoms

Perimenopause and ADHD: A Series - Part 4: ADHD and Perimenopause: Which One is it? Is it Both?

August 11, 2026•3 min read

How do we know it’s ADHD when so many of the ‘symptoms’ overlap with some of the symptoms of perimenopause?

Super good question.

There is a fair degree of overlap between some of the challenges of ADHD and some of the symptoms of perimenopause. Hmmm. Frustrating right? Namely the struggles that ADHDers and perimenopausal women can experience in relation to their cognitive functioning and their emotion regulation. Perimenopausal women often talk about their experience of brain fog. When you ask more questions, brain fog is a word they tend to use that captures difficulties with their memory (recalling words, names), forgetting intentions (reason for going into a specific room), maintaining a train of thought given their distractibility and task-switching. Perimenopausal women also often report that their mood can ‘change in an instant’, going from feeling relatively ‘even-keeled’ to irritable within a very short space of time.

As a quick lesson (or reminder) the primary hallmarks (and diagnostic criteria) of ADHD include challenges with attention / concentration and hyperactivity / impulsivity. Individuals can be a combined presentation (both inattentive and hyperactive), predominantly inattentive presentation or predominantly hyperactive/impulsive presentation. If you want to know more, you can read Part 1 of this series*.

So I’ll drill down a little further with a few ‘real life’ examples.

When we consider the cognitive and psychological challenges described by perimenopausal women, there are a few that are going to be super familiar with ADHDers. Maintaining a train of thought (focus) due to being constantly distracted, task-switching and mood changes are part and parcel of an ADHDer’s daily life. Having said that though, there are nuanced (albeit for most but not ALL ADHDers) differences that are important to note.

For example, for ADHDers, the abrupt mood changes are often a response to feelings of frustration when our ADHD challenges arise (i.e. frustrated that you’ve just spent a solid half an hour reading a document only to realise you stopped paying attention 2 words in). Or a response to feeling rejected or disapproved of by others (referred to as ‘rejection sensitivity dysphoria’). This is different from biting your partner’s head off because they are chewing too loudly (a very real comment made to me by a perimenopausal woman).

And yes, ADHDers also have challenges with our memory but that’s far more likely to be related to forgetting the paragraph we’ve just read, because our mind has wandered off task while reading. The perimenopausal woman might also have similar troubles but they also find it difficult recalling words and names etc.. And that’s not necessarily a common feature of ADHD. So you can see that generally, there are nuances in perimenopausal women’s cognitive and emotional challenges and those experienced by ADHDers. And it’s this nuance that forms a part (of many parts) of an ADHD assessment process.

In addition to this, there are other critical (can’t ignore, must be present) criteria for an ADHD diagnosis. If you’re keen to understand this more deeply, then please have a read of Part 3 in the series.

Raising awareness and deepening the understanding of perimenopause and ADHD is crucial—not just important—for timely and effective support. If you suspect you might be one of the many perimenopausal women with ADHD, check out the other articles in this ADHD and Perimenopause Series www.allabouthercentre.com.au and/or seek out a healthcare provider who knows this space well. Feel free to reach out to me via www.allabouhercentre.com.au if you need guidance as to how to go about being assessed or ongoing support.

Kirstin Bouse

Kirstin Bouse is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience across courtrooms, hospitals, universities, prisons, and therapy rooms. She has built and sold a thriving group practice, mentored dozens of clinicians, spoken on national stages, and become a regular media voice. But it was her own experience of seven years of perimenopause that changed the direction of her work. Kirstin knows firsthand what it feels like to be exhausted to the bone, lose words mid-sentence, experience unpredictable mood swings, and wonder, “What the actual hell is going on?” After years of navigating perimenopause — including finding that HRT didn't help her — she came to understand just how profound this transition can be. For Kirstin, perimenopause wasn't simply a collection of physical symptoms. It was a major life transition that affected her body, brain, relationships, identity, and the way she lived her life. It also became a catalyst for change. Perimenopause forced Kirstin to look closely at the ways she had been putting herself last. She learned to let go of people-pleasing, say no without guilt, reclaim her time, and build a life that genuinely worked for her. It was brutal and messy at times, but ultimately transformative. Now, through All About Her – The Centre for Menopause, Kirstin brings together her professional expertise and lived experience to support women navigating midlife and menopause. Her work is for women who are done with the martyr cape. Women who are ready to stop waiting for permission, challenge the old rules, and create a life that actually fits who they are now. Kirstin's message is simple: You are not failing. You are becoming. And she believes that becoming can be one hell of a ride.

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