Menopause and Women’s Health Support Through a Neurodivergent Lens

I’m still processing this day! 🥰 More than 200 women came together in Dunfermline for an afternoon of education, connection, and a bit of retail therapy from some wonderful local vendors. (There may also have been some wine and cake involved!) The room was full of such beautiful energy with brilliant talks on PCOS, GLP-1, endometriosis, self advocacy and more. ✨ A huge thank you to Adele and the WHM team for inviting me onto a panel to talk about my experience with AuDHD & perimenopause and for putting on such a great event! 🫶🏻 I met so many amazing women and I’m really grateful to everyone who stopped to talk and share their experience. Neurodivergence is being spoken about much more but we still need better visibility and understanding of how it shows up in women and girls. The systems are not quite there yet, which is why conversations like this matter so much ❤️ Message me if you’re trying to make sense of how menopause and neurodivergence interact for you. #audhdwomen #neurodivergentperimenopause #whmexpo2025 #rewritingtherules #adhdwomen #autisticwomen #actuallyautistic #perimenopausehealth

Heading into week 2 of the Autism & ADHD in Women – DSM-5 Criteria Through a Scientific & Intersectional Lens course ✨ What I’m really taking from the course so far is a much clearer understanding of how AuDHD shows up differently in women and why it can be missed in so many of us until much later in life. Not only is it informing the work I do as a coach, it’s also helping me understand my own traits more clearly, especially the way they interact with hormones, stress, environment and sensory overload. I’m grateful to be part of a community that’s bringing much needed awareness, compassion and scientific understanding to this space 💫 I’ll be taking what I’m learning and integrating it into my 121 coaching. If you want to know more, drop me a message 🤍 #audhd #autisticwomen #neurodivergentwomen #neuroaffirming #neurodivergentmenopause #menopausecoaching

If your focus, energy, or motivation seem to change from week to week, you don’t need to try harder, it’s biology. During perimenopause, hormones like estrogen start to rise and fall in unpredictable ways. Estrogen helps regulate dopamine, which supports focus, mood and drive. So when estrogen dips, dopamine does too, and that can bring brain fog, low motivation or emotional overwhelm. For neurodivergent women, these shifts can feel more intense because dopamine levels are already more sensitive. You’re not inconsistent or doing anything wrong. You’re responding to real changes in your brain and body 🤍 ✨ Does this resonate with you? #neurodivergentwomen #audhd #neurodivergentmenopause #perimenopause #autisticmenopause #actuallyautistic #perimenopausesupport #audhdmenopausecoaching

I struggled for years in a busy corporate role, working 12 hour days, then burning out every weekend. When I started my business, it was hard not to think I had to do the same. It’s taken me a while to realise that doesn’t have to be the case. I’ve been working more with my energy levels and embracing AuDHD hyperfocus and deep dives into topics I’m passionate about ❤️ Yesterday, I wrote, designed, and finished an ebook in one afternoon. It wasn’t what I’d planned to do 🫣, and today definitely hasn’t been as productive, but I’m learning to work with it ✨ Fluctuating energy levels and focus are part of AuDHD, and they can feel even more intense during perimenopause. I know I’m lucky to set my own hours now, but it’s been a real eye-opener to be able to work to my strengths instead of forcing myself into routines that don’t work for me. If I’d known I was AuDHD back in my corporate days, maybe I’d have been able to understand what was happening and look after myself better. 📍How do fluctuating energy levels and focus show up for you at work or in your business? #AuDHD #perimenopause #ADHD #hyperfocus #neurodivergentwomen #adhdwomen #burnoutrecovery

Researchers describe menopause for autistic women (and those with ADHD traits) as “a perfect storm”. Perimenopause amplifies neurodivergence, and neurodivergence amplifies perimenopause. Life already feels hard, but perimenopause can completely shake your sense of self. You might lose coping strategies that once worked for you, or feel like you don’t even recognise yourself anymore. If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many women describe this stage as one of the most challenging yet eye-opening parts of their lives. For neurodivergent women, this transition often hits harder. Hormonal changes amplify traits like: ⭐️ Sensory overwhelm ⭐️ Executive dysfunction ⭐️ Emotional swings This can also be why so many women are diagnosed with ADHD or autism during perimenopause. The traits were always there, but hormonal shifts now make them impossible to mask. 💡 Save this post if perimenopause has turned up the volume on your traits. You’re not failing, you’re adapting to a new reality. And you don’t have to figure it out alone. Reference: Brady et al. (2024). “A perfect storm”: Autistic experiences of menopause and midlife. PMID: 38709110 #neurodivergentmenopause #latediagnosed #AuDHD #perimenopausehealth #autisticwomen

It’s not just your hormones. And it’s not just your brain. For many women, perimenopause can be the point where everything starts to feel like too much. Emotions. Sensitivity. Distractibility. Needing more space. The list goes on! Traits that once felt manageable now feel harder to navigate. Either because they’re intensifying, or because you’re at capacity and can’t keep pushing through. It might be the first time you stop to ask yourself “What’s actually going on here?” Not to fix anything. But to finally give yourself the support you need. 🧡 If this feels familiar, one thing that can really help is tracking. Perimenopause can make cycle patterns MUCH less predictable, but you can still learn a lot by noticing how the intensity of your neurodivergent traits fluctuates over time. ⭐ Have you noticed this too? I’d love to hear what it’s been like for you. 🗂 My free neurodivergent menopause symptom tracker is coming very soon so keep an eye out. #AuDHD #NeurodivergentMenopause #AutisticWomen #LateDiagnosis #PerimenopauseSupport

Self-care is so important, especially during perimenopause when your hormones, energy, emotions, and nervous system can feel unpredictable and intense. But when you’re AuDHD, the usual self-care advice doesn’t always work. Bubble baths. Massages. Meditation. Sometimes those things help, and sometimes they just add more pressure. Real self-care is about doing what genuinely supports you, even if that looks different from everyone else. For me, that’s been one of the biggest lessons in perimenopause. To stop doing what I think I ‘should’ do and start listening to what my body actually needs. ✨ Rewatching the same comfort shows over and over for the millionth time ✨ Lying on the floor in the dark with my headphones on way too loud ✨ Walking for miles with no plan where I’m going ✨ Reading a book outside while watching the sunset ✨ Lifting heavy things at the gym ✨ Hiding from the world when I’m burnt out or feeling overwhelmed That’s self-care too. What does self-care look like for you right now? #InternationalSelfCareDay #AuDHD #AuDHDWomen #NeurodivergentSelfCare #PerimenopauseSupport #NeurodivergentMenopause #RealSelfCare