Women, ADHD, and Hormones Webinar 

Same here

Oh, I can empathize. Although I was diagnosed in my early thirties, there are so many years of shame and embarrassment and disappointment and misunderstandings! The wreckage is heartbreaking. Hugs to both of you here, and anyone else who is in this "boat." At least they know so much more now and we can quit blaming ourselves for not being "normal."

I am 51 and just had a diagnosis of autism and adhd. I do not fit in anywhere and always in trouble at work and at university. I have combined adhd so inattentive and hyperactive. I could not do everything a normal mother does with 3 kids, I did my best and my kids are great they also have autism, adhd, deafness and anxiety with depression. We are always there to help each other even though we are all so different.

Not alone Susan. We are all here now. Think about historical figures that didn't have this knowledge. Give yourself some grace love. Sending love and take care.

55 here, just diagnosed….

Just wanted to say I agree. I had all of these behaviours over the years but definitely did try to compensate for the chaos with constant tidying and cleaning. When it was mentioned about forgiveness for ourselves for all the awkward and sometimes downright destructive behaviours, I was like; 😢 . That would be so good. Best wishes to you

thanks so much! what interest me isn’t till 42 minute in. id never have sat thru it to find it. 💕💕💕

I get it. Sending love and comfort.

Thank you!!!!

THANK YOU

Thank you! You made this watchable!

Oh thank goodness

Thank you!

Yeah, my ex-partner really struggled coming to terms with her ADHD, and in consequence the hormonal factor. It affectively ended the relationship, and caused her a fair few problems in her places of work too. But she also wouldn't get diagnosed, or look to possible solutions, which I'd argue was probably a worse outcome overall. Very difficult and complex thing to deal with for women with ADHD.

Not only was it disheartening to hear them speak of PMS and that way but to say that adhd plus Trauma equals borderline personality disorder is horribly inaccurate. If they knew anything about this disorder they would not be saying this. You have to meet certain criteria for borderline personality disorder and just because you have mood swings does not qualify you for that.

You know, men have emotional issues as well. Mostly the fact that society has told them they aren't allowed to have them and that anyone who does express them is trustworthy. ALSO, that men cannot show vulnerability at all costs. These emotional issues in men cause a lot of relationship and societal problems too. Refusing to express or acknowledge emotions is incredibly unhealthy.

I also found them having a laugh about calling it ‘monster week’ really triggering. As a women diagnosed with PMDD many years ago and now ADHD, I have been socialised to feel shame about the way my hormones make me feel and ultimately act. The societal jokes around women and hormones add to the shame felt when experiencing this awful disorder. This laughing, joking attitude surrounding the subject is repeated during this conversation and as it continues it’s becoming more and more offensive and Sandra Koori actually seems kind of smug…?! I’ll be switching this video off after I’ve finished this comment. And before anyone assumes anything… I’m not currently in ‘monster week’

We matter and more education needed. Thanks for your comment I can relate.

My personal experience as a woman looking back is that sex hormones helped me to deal better with the ADHD because I had more insight in general. I have horrendous periods, and I am truly dreading menopause...

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Only recently I’ve been thinking I may have ADHD and only guessing it’s yet another hormonal side effect from menopause. Appreciate your comment.

I agree. It’s 8 years after menopause . It’s not like it’s over. ADHD is far worse post menopause.

I think I’m more bothered that science decided women and non binary people deserved to be diagnosed with a personality disorder rather than investigate ADHD and trauma in us.

I was diagnosed at 54 and I was neglected as a child with no validation no emotional support and was abused. So I relate to your feelings. It's terrible. Hiwever the best way I look at it now is that j know now I understand me and I can get the help j can research. There's so many y of my friends who are older are afraid to diagnose and do not want to be assessed to avoid being labelled, yet they prefer to live in undiagnosed state and doing the things that just a vicious circle and they keep going around and round

How is your treatment going? I am post-menopausal and don't know if this is why none of the stimulants seem to be working.

Me too

@@0791mia sucks that it was initially thought of as a "gendered" disorder, so many of us have struggled so much

Hear hear! Such true words Bree! There’s so much important work in spreading this education to be done here. This should be widespread knowledge imparted not only to medics but to girls in high schools and universities around the world and their teachers as well. Just think about how much female empowerment and prevention of suffering could be achieved by widely spreading this information amongst young females and their (biology) teachers. The effect could be mind boggling. Dr. Kooij you have strung such a vital cord and I am sorry that I can only hear it resonating now. So much time lost and wasted and yet there’s a lot of understanding and hope coming from this.

About 7% of the population has ADHD.

Hey fellow ADHD - your comment made me hyper focus and I created timestamps for you: 0:05 - Introduction - ADHD was for a long time a male thing (why ADHD girls were missed). 2:05 - Life for women with ADHD - Most women with ADHD have combined type but more often have the inattentive type than men. 3:37 - Causes of underdiagnosis of ADHD in girls. 6:52 - Complaints/symptoms of girls & women with AD(H)D. 7:22 - What does a room looks like in a house with ADHD? 8:48 - Girls are not disruptive but may be chronically tired (as inattention takes continous mental effort, leading to exhaustion). 9:29 - Is there a relationship between ADHD and Chronic Fatique Syndrome (CFS)? 9:57 - What happens to girls and women with AD(H)D? 11:20 - Books on girls & women & ADHD 11:45 - Associated conditions/circumstances with ADHD (more present in women) 13:40 - ADHD medication in pregnancy 15:49 - Hormonal mood changes in women with ADHD 16:40 - Premenstrual mood problems in women with ADHD 19:08 - First study on mood & female hormones in ADHD (2016) 19:48 - Questionnaire design 20:20 - Most urgent question to science: hormonal mood changes during the lifecycle for women with ADHD 20:53 - Results of the first study (10x increased indication for PMDD for ADHD women compared to normal population, 4x increased for PPD for ADHD women, 2x increased severity of mood symptoms for (peri)menopausal women. 22:02 - Replication study 22:32 - Results replication study 23:20 - Summary of both studies 23:36 - Why has this not been researched before? 24:35 - Introduction to sex hormones interaction with ADHD 25:55 - Estrogen & Progresteron x Dopamine 26:49 - Why increased mood changes during the cycle in ADHD women? 27:34 - (neurotypical) Female hormones & ADHD symptoms across the cycle 28:09 - What can you do about it? (PMDD, PPD, and climacteric mood symptoms) 30:05 - Q&A start 30:37 - Q: Why do I crave sugar during my period? I have my eating disorder under control but not so well on those first days of my period. 31:59 - Q: Temporary increase of ADHD medication - how can a woman determine if she needs a bit increase in her medication? How can she know herself or only with her doctor? 33:32 - Q: Asides to medication, are there any other treatments or guidance? Especially for women in the field of emotional regulation? 36:30 - Q: Should I as an [ADHD treatment practitioner] always bring up hormones as a factor in therapy or the coaching process when the patient is a woman? 38:33 - Q: How can the workplace / line managers accomodate to hormonal fluctuations as reasonable adjustments? 41:42 - Q: Facilitator-led theory: ADHD + Childhood Trauma = Borderline? 45:15 - Q: Facilitator-led theory: Detection criteria, comorbidities and childhood behaviours 47:17 - Q: Is there any impact with ADHD medication, (e.g. Elvanse), and contraceptives (e.g. contraceptive patches) 48:25 - Q: Can taking supplements really help and if so, which ones? 49:30 - Q: Any connection with thyroid function conditions? (No high-thyroid functioning, but maybe low-thyroid functioning?) 52:00 - CALL FOR ACTION - Daily register your mood and ADHD symptoms for 2 months (and presumably your cycle too) to share with Dr Sandra to support her research. 53:00 - Q: Birth control - What kind of birth control methods do you recommend for women with ADHD who do not react well to estrogen? 54:30 - Q: Can contraceptives affect ADHD symptoms? 55:50 - Q: Women with ADHD and PMS on methylphenidate (MPH), would you rather increase the (MPH) dose perimentrual or add on sertraline perimenstrual? 57:20 - Q: What is a good way of keeping track of your hormones and behaviour if you forget to monitor it? 58:21 - Q: What if higher dose during one week of the month and then dropping low the rest of the month? 1:02:14 - Q: Is (?) training the only effective therapy for emotioonal dysfunction or can your therapist also apply cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a similar effect? 1:06:00 - Q: What can healthcare providers improve in order to be more confident when diagnosing women with ADHD? Making use of my hyperfocus on this. Lots of love!

@@alunea3527 thank you so much!!!

Take the seminar in small chunks. Look at transcript. Do something boring while listening like folding clothe, dishes, sorting papers, online comparison shopping, pulling weeds, planting seeds, exercising on a bike or going for a walk. I have to keep myself busy...with hands, boring tasks, etc.

I have to play it in the car and take a ride. Next best option is on TV while doing other tasks.

I was cleaning while listening to it on my phone. I would move my phone from room to room haha. I now understand why I do this. I can’t focus unless I’m doing something!

Honestly it sounds like you might need to go on disability, I have a bad disks in my spine and I have ADHD and I’m medicated for all these things and I am still unable to work full-time. There’s no shame in going on disability if you’re actually disabled, and my life has been so much better now that I’m not constantly being abused at work for having a disability that needs a accommodation

Cbd oil has helped me for PMDD, after 6 months of taken it every day , I am almost symptom free.

Yasminelle has helped me to try and at least tame my menstrual symptoms..

🍄’s U may consider 🦋

@monika any specific form of cbd oil?

You might be able to try buspiron actavis low dosage like 2,5-5 mg morning and afternoon start low ( it’s for generaliserad anxiety disorder, but is also used as an antidepressant ) Also used off prescription for asd. Personally found it increased focus, more even mood and less tired because less noice in the brain) Most likely since it boosts a larger spectrum of hormones. Not habituating so ok to take over 2 weeks and not.

As is the "next" every few seconds!

Time stamps for skipping for ADHD folks: 0:05 - Introduction - ADHD was for a long time a male thing (why ADHD girls were missed). 2:05 - Life for women with ADHD - Most women with ADHD have combined type but more often have the inattentive type than men. 3:37 - Causes of underdiagnosis of ADHD in girls. 6:52 - Complaints/symptoms of girls & women with AD(H)D. 7:22 - What does a room looks like in a house with ADHD? 8:48 - Girls are not disruptive but may be chronically tired (as inattention takes continous mental effort, leading to exhaustion). 9:29 - Is there a relationship between ADHD and Chronic Fatique Syndrome (CFS)? 9:57 - What happens to girls and women with AD(H)D? 11:20 - Books on girls & women & ADHD 11:45 - Associated conditions/circumstances with ADHD (more present in women) 13:40 - ADHD medication in pregnancy 15:49 - Hormonal mood changes in women with ADHD 16:40 - Premenstrual mood problems in women with ADHD 19:08 - First study on mood & female hormones in ADHD (2016) 19:48 - Questionnaire design 20:20 - Most urgent question to science: hormonal mood changes during the lifecycle for women with ADHD 20:53 - Results of the first study (10x increased indication for PMDD for ADHD women compared to normal population, 4x increased for PPD for ADHD women, 2x increased severity of mood symptoms for (peri)menopausal women. 22:02 - Replication study 22:32 - Results replication study 23:20 - Summary of both studies 23:36 - Why has this not been researched before? 24:35 - Introduction to sex hormones interaction with ADHD 25:55 - Estrogen & Progresteron x Dopamine 26:49 - Why increased mood changes during the cycle in ADHD women? 27:34 - (neurotypical) Female hormones & ADHD symptoms across the cycle 28:09 - What can you do about it? (PMDD, PPD, and climacteric mood symptoms) 30:05 - Q&A start 30:37 - Q: Why do I crave sugar during my period? I have my eating disorder under control but not so well on those first days of my period. 31:59 - Q: Temporary increase of ADHD medication - how can a woman determine if she needs a bit increase in her medication? How can she know herself or only with her doctor? 33:32 - Q: Asides to medication, are there any other treatments or guidance? Especially for women in the field of emotional regulation? 36:30 - Q: Should I as an [ADHD treatment practitioner] always bring up hormones as a factor in therapy or the coaching process when the patient is a woman? 38:33 - Q: How can the workplace / line managers accomodate to hormonal fluctuations as reasonable adjustments? 41:42 - Q: Facilitator-led theory: ADHD + Childhood Trauma = Borderline? 45:15 - Q: Facilitator-led theory: Detection criteria, comorbidities and childhood behaviours 47:17 - Q: Is there any impact with ADHD medication, (e.g. Elvanse), and contraceptives (e.g. contraceptive patches) 48:25 - Q: Can taking supplements really help and if so, which ones? 49:30 - Q: Any connection with thyroid function conditions? (No high-thyroid functioning, but maybe low-thyroid functioning?) 52:00 - CALL FOR ACTION - Daily register your mood and ADHD symptoms for 2 months (and presumably your cycle too) to share with Dr Sandra to support her research. 53:00 - Q: Birth control - What kind of birth control methods do you recommend for women with ADHD who do not react well to estrogen? 54:30 - Q: Can contraceptives affect ADHD symptoms? 55:50 - Q: Women with ADHD and PMS on methylphenidate (MPH), would you rather increase the (MPH) dose perimentrual or add on sertraline perimenstrual? 57:20 - Q: What is a good way of keeping track of your hormones and behaviour if you forget to monitor it? 58:21 - Q: What if higher dose during one week of the month and then dropping low the rest of the month? 1:02:14 - Q: Is (?) training the only effective therapy for emotioonal dysfunction or can your therapist also apply cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a similar effect? 1:06:00 - Q: What can healthcare providers improve in order to be more confident when diagnosing women with ADHD? Making use of my hyperfocus on this.

Isn’t it crazy how the eating disorder fits in?

Definitely a link!

I had a massive cocaine problem from the age of 18 to 21. I finally got diagnosed with ADHD when I was 31, and now I believe I was self-medicating with the cocaine.

Have you tried seed cycling? Have a go, observe yourself and see if it works. Unfortunately we have to do our own research

Chaste berry an vitex (or something like that) was recommended to me for endometriosis, it made me feel so high, and not in a good way. I’m glad you can tolerate it I absolutely could not

Or wait, are you talking about progesterone made with the yams? I tried that too I really needed it to work because I have endometriosis, it made me so mean. Like I knew I was being mean and I didn’t care nor could I stop it it was not OK

I agree, the men can learn to use a little compassion. Not all ADHD woman with trauma are borderline. Those men resembled the old practice....like 50 years ago. "If I say it, then it Must be true!" ☝ ha

I feel borderline personality disorder is a label to stigmatise women who are severely traumatised and cannot be controlled. I've seen many women misdiagnosed with bpd or eupd when they only had misdiagnosed ADHD. If that were the case, all women with ADHD would have bpd as a co-occurring condition. BPD exists but it is not a combination of ADHD and trauma. It has a different presentation and other symptoms.

@@briana9918 yep I have a friend who suffers from anxiety, her doctor took her medication away from her because she wasn’t taking it every day all day she was only using it as needed. Seems weird, I also think she might have ADHD because she does tend to self medicate with stimulants. she was diagnosed with BPD and well I am not in the mental health field at all I have been her friend for decades and I just don’t see it in her. I think someone lazy diagnosed her and it’s just stuck to her her whole life

Yeah, that annoyed me too

@Alunea I feel in my danger week, I'm more of a "You're in danger. I won't put up with bs and I will be thorough about presenting you with evidence to backup my bs detector. Keep away if you are not ready to be challenged and have a mirror put in front of you." And I guess that doesn't go down well for those who expect me to be "nice" because I'm a woman or "professional".

I get terrible hormonal migraines, and I have ADHD. And unfortunately I have endometriosis so adding estrogen to my body is really bad for that. I tried to progesterone only pill and it made me so mean. I tried it for so long but I was so mean. I couldn’t even stand myself

I tried. It worked. Too well. 150mg is the lowest avaliable in Canada. :| It's very disheartening. All of my pain, fatigue, sensitivity to light/sound were suppressed.

I react poorly to wellbutrin. I can't sleep with it. Glad it works for you.

I am a woman who was only offered SSRI‘s for symptoms of anxiety and depression through my whole entire 20s. It almost destroyed my life they made me so sick, they didn’t do anything good for me, and every time I went to the doctor for help I was just to try another one after spending six weeks having muscle spasms and headaches and vomiting and insomnia and crying jags. Turns out the whole time I needed dopamine and not serotonin. I feel like I was abused by the mental health system honestly. They’re so worried about people getting addicted to anti-anxiety medication they make them sick or trying other things off label and then when our lives fall apart they want to give us a pill for the depression that comes with getting fired for not being able to show up for work. Ridiculous.

Neurodivergent folks we are very vulnerable to new trends (eating disorders, self-harming, gender identity), the dopamine of the novelty, edginess, and a promise to belong at last to a group of people using the same coping mechanisms to deal with the incongruous mainstream narrative (don't eat this or that, don't have a natural body shape, sexual and any kind of abuse and neglect are your fault, if you like pink/dresses/heals/being brutalised you're a girl; if you like being respected/blue/be in control/having all research done on you, you're a boy). I think the statistics will be high for us if we don't look deeper at why

Tell your doctor

Yea. I got diarhea from Zoloft, too. Anti-depressants are prescribed like candy, it seems. & good fucking luck getting off of them. Tapering off slowly can be pure hell for a lot of brains.

🤣😂🤣🤣🤣 the struggle is real. I was thinking if adhders can't access the immense amount of knowledge we accrue, the same will happen with learning from our mistakes. How are we then supposed to change like Sandra said?

I lasted about 2 minutes. Having information constantly scrolling along the bottom of the screen is way too distracting!

Prof Sandra Kooij is so very cool 😎 Thank you!

Yeah, men make sure it is