AM-Path Study
ADHD Symptoms during the Menopausal Transition: Pathways and Gaps to Care Study
Background
ADHD was historically considered to mainly affect boys, thus women with ADHD have been overlooked and under-diagnosed, and topics specific to females are under-researched. Times of hormonal change among females—including puberty, menstruation and menopause—have been largely neglected.
Our research finds that women with ADHD are more likely to struggle during times of hormonal change, for example with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and distressing symptoms during the menopausal transition. However, women’s health care for individuals with ADHD is disjointed, and both women with ADHD and clinicians emphasise the need for change.
Menopause & ADHD
This may be especially true during the menopausal transition, a time during which women many women report exacerbation of their ADHD symptoms. In our qualitative interviews with women with ADHD, they expressed that their ADHD symptoms worsened during the menopausal transition, but they were often unsure from whom to seek care, or their symptoms were minimised when care was sought. Additionally, clinicians have raised questions regarding how to provide the best care for their female patients with ADHD symptoms, for example, how best to distinguish ADHD symptoms from menopause-associated brain fog.
Our Focus Groups
The AM-PATH Study involves a series of focus groups with:
(1) Women with lived experience of ADHD and;
(2) Clinicians who work with women with ADHD including GPs, psychiatrists and women’s health clinicians.
The aim of our work is to understand the current clinical pathways to care for women presenting with ADHD symptoms during the menopausal transition and to identify gaps in the current system of care and key areas for future research.