📄 CLINICIAN FACT SHEET

Menopausal Cognitive Changes in ADHD Women

Evidence-Based Summary for Practice

Background

Cognitive complaints are common during the menopausal transition. Research summarized by the University of Rochester Medical Center demonstrates that these complaints often correspond to measurable cognitive differences.

Key findings from the research

Women reporting memory difficulties showed:

• Lower performance on tests of working memory
• Reduced sustained attention during cognitively demanding tasks

Findings also showed:

• Less evidence of impairment in simple long-term storage and retrieval
• Higher rates of reported sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression
• No clear association with the hormone levels measured in the study

Clinical interpretation

Patients often describe these changes as “memory problems,” but testing suggests the core issue is executive and attentional load, not global memory loss.

This distinction is important for:

• assessment
• psychoeducation
• treatment planning

Relevance for ADHD women

Although the study did not specifically examine ADHD, clinical implications are clear:

• ADHD already involves working memory and attention differences
• Menopausal cognitive changes affect overlapping systems
• ADHD women may experience greater functional impact during this transition

This should be framed as increased cognitive demand, not decline.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Avoid:

• dismissing symptoms as “normal aging”
• attributing complaints solely to mood
• assuming lack of effort or motivation

Instead:

• assess sleep, anxiety, and depression
• normalize the menopausal transition
• encourage external cognitive supports
• reduce cognitive load rather than increasing pressure

Key takeaway

Menopausal cognitive complaints are:

• measurable
• functionally meaningful
• multifactorial

For ADHD women, validation and accommodation are evidence-aligned responses.