Navigating Diagnoses of ADHD and PMDD

The speaker shares their journey of receiving diagnoses of ADHD and PMDD, reflecting on the overlapping symptoms and emotional challenges faced, as well as the frustrations surrounding lack of comprehensive understanding and research in this intersection. They discuss personal experiences with misdiagnosis, the impact of family history on diagnosis, the struggle to recognize symptoms as abnormal, and the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment for conditions like PMDD.

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Episode 188 with Jes Hagan.

“The first study on women and ADHD was done in 1979, but there wasn’t a study on the menstrual cycle and ADHD until 2017.”

Jes is a nutritional therapist and board-certified integrative menstrual health educator and coach. She is the founder of Her Mood Mentor, a virtual premenstrual clinic. Her own experience of living with misdiagnosed and undiagnosed Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and ADHD has fueled her determination to help others reclaim their lives from hormonal mood symptoms.

PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that can come with significant emotional and physical symptoms that typically occur during the luteal phase. Anywhere from 3-8% of menstruating adults have PMDD, while roughly 46% of women with ADHD also experience PMDD.

Jes and I talk about her personal diagnosis journey, starting with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at the age of 17. She shares about her later diagnoses of PMDD and ADHD, and how medical research has been slowly connecting the dots when it comes to how our hormones and menstrual cycles affect our ADHD.

We also get all fired up over the lack of education on a lot of these topics that relate to women with ADHD, as well as the challenges we face navigating the medical system with ADHD.

Finally, Jes discusses some of the amazing holistic treatment options available for anyone who struggles with hormonal mood symptoms.

TRIGGER WARNING: Throughout the episode, Jes mentions her experiences with suicidal thoughts during PMDD, so if that subject is a difficult one for you, you might want to sit this episode out.

Website: hermoodmentor.com

Instagram: @hermoodmentor

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