Hormones & ADHD: The Chaotic Duo You Didn’t Ask For

If your ADHD symptoms seem to have moods, congratulations—you’re not losing your mind. You’re just experiencing the absolute circus that happens when ADHD meets a menstrual cycle. One week, you’re hyperfocused, slaying to-do lists, and crushing your social life.

The next?

You’re crying over a spilled smoothie, rage-typing an email you’ll regret, and doom-scrolling through TikTok wondering why life feels so hard.

Spoiler: It’s your hormones.

For late-diagnosed ADHD women, this rollercoaster can feel extra confusing. The productivity highs and emotional crashes aren’t random. They’re tied to your estrogen, progesterone, and dopamine levels—which, surprise!—are not stable throughout the month. Let’s break it down, so you can stop fighting your brain and start working with it.

Your cycle is not just about your period. It’s a full 28 day [lunar based] hormonal symphony that impacts your focus, energy, emotions, and yes—your ADHD symptoms.

Here’s the breakdown:

🚀 Follicular Phase (Days 1-14): The ‘I Have My Life Together’ Phase

💡 Hormones at play: Estrogen is rising, boosting dopamine (aka the ADHD brain’s bestie).

🧠 ADHD symptoms: Focus is 🔥, motivation is high, emotions feel relatively stable.

How you feel:

• You actually finish what you start.

• You’re chatty, confident, and dare I say, productive.

• Tasks don’t feel impossible.

• Life is making sense. (Wild, right?)

Best time for: ✔ Deep work and big projects ✔ Social events ✔ Planning your life like a Type A queen

TL;DR: Your executive function is flexing. Ride this wave.

💃🏽 Ovulation (Days 12-14): The ‘Main Character Energy’ Phase

💡 Hormones at play: Estrogen is peaking, dopamine is partying.

🧠 ADHD symptoms: Confidence = high. Focus = solid. Creativity = overflowing.

How you feel:

• Social battery FULL—who wants to hang?

• Brainstorming new ideas like it’s your job.

• Making bold moves, flirting effortlessly, and possibly signing up for a class you’ll forget about later.

Best time for: ✔ Public speaking, networking, or dating ✔ Creative brainstorming ✔ Big presentations or interviews

TL;DR: Peak charisma. Enjoy it while it lasts.

😵‍💫 Early Luteal (Days 15-21): The ‘Wait, What Was I Doing?’ Phase

💡 Hormones at play: Estrogen starts dipping, progesterone rises.

🧠 ADHD symptoms: Brain fog creeps in. Energy dips. Overwhelm? Oh yeah.

How you feel:

• Walking into rooms and forgetting why.

• Small tasks feel suddenly impossible.

• People are breathing too loud and it’s annoying.

• Sleep? Suddenly a problem.

Best time for: ✔ Low-pressure tasks ✔ Reviewing old work (not starting new projects) ✔ Prioritizing rest and self-care

TL;DR: Your brain is buffering. Go easy on yourself.

🚨 Luteal (Days 22-28): The ‘Why Is Everything Falling Apart?’ Phase

💡 Hormones at play: Estrogen and progesterone DROP.

🧠 ADHD symptoms: Emotional rollercoaster, rejection sensitivity, impulse control = GONE.

How you feel:

• Convinced everyone secretly hates you.

• Overanalyzing everything.

• Snapping at your laptop for loading too slow.

• Online shopping to self-soothe.

Best time for: ✔ Gentle movement (yoga, stretching, walks) ✔ Saying ‘no’ to unnecessary stress ✔ Forgiving yourself for needing extra rest

TL;DR: Your hormones are giving ✨dramatic✨. Extend yourself some grace.

So… What the Hell?

Track Your Cycle. Use an app (Flo, Clue, MyFlo) or a simple calendar to see patterns between your ADHD symptoms and your cycle.

Plan Accordingly. Save deep work for the follicular phase, schedule easier days for luteal, and give yourself permission to rest when you need to.

Consider Supplements or Medication Adjustments. Some doctors tweak ADHD med dosages premenstrually. Talk to a pro if you’re struggling.

Prioritize Self-Care. Support your hormones with sleep, movement, protein-rich meals, and way less caffeine during the luteal phase.

You’re Not Broken, You’re Just Neurospicy With a Side of Hormonal Chaos. And, you're in that half of society that is lesser studied, typically unseen and unheard in doctors' offices as well. So, it's not YOU, the system has some adjusting to do and science gets to catch up.

In the meantime →

If your ADHD feels wildly inconsistent, you may want to consider working with whatever healthcare professional you trust to order & translate your bloodwork labs to you. There may be some other things [like, mineral deficiencies of vitamin d or magnesium] that are happening behind the scenes.

The menstrual cycle is directly affecting dopamine levels; once we understand why, we can stop blaming ourselves for struggling. Instead, we can start working with our brains instead of fighting them.

If this hit home, drop a line in the comments and/or check out the Adventuring with ADHD e course: a guide for women.

Resources

Books:

• Why has Nobody Told me This Before?

• Dopamine Nation

• Good Energy

• The Power of Hormones

• In the Flo

Podcasts:

• The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast

• Hormone Genius Podcast(for deep dives into estrogen & progesterone)

• ADHD and Hormones with Dr. Sandra Kooij

Research Studies:

• Study | A possible explanation to conflicting results of studies of ADHD in females

• Study | Relationship between sex hormones, reproductive stages and ADHD: a systematic review

• Study | Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD