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ADHD, hormones, and knowing when to pause

Primed for ADHD Podcast with Andrea Toole

Primed for ADHD Podcast with Andrea Toole
ADHD, hormones, and knowing when to pause
Feb 06, 2026 Season 2 Episode 6
Andrea Toole, ADHD Coach

This week’s episode is a short one.

I originally planned to release a full episode, but I didn’t have the bandwidth, so I chose to respect my energy.

This episode connects directly to how I think about ADHD management in midlife, and to one of the most overlooked realities for high-functioning women with ADHD: hormones change the rules, sometimes abruptly.

In this episode, I talk about:

  • ADHD and hormonal shifts in midlife
  • Why irritability, reactivity, and sensory overload can spike unexpectedly
  • How perimenopause and PMS affect energy and emotional regulation
  • What it looks like to pause without spiralling into guilt or self-judgment

This isn’t about doing less forever. It’s about recognizing when pushing through will cost more than it gives back.

If this resonates, you may want to revisit the earlier episode “Why ADHD feels harder in perimenopause,” where I explain what’s happening neurologically and hormonally during this stage of life, and why strategies that once worked can suddenly stop working.

Behind the scenes, I’m planning February content and updating my offers. The podcast continues as planned.

Next episode, we’ll return to the original episode 6 topic: how to talk about your ADHD diagnosis with friends, family, and co-workers, including when disclosure is useful, when it isn’t, and how to think about it strategically.

Thanks for listening.