Calico Boyle, the founder of The ADHD Femme Collective, shares her experience of having undiagnosed ADHD as a girl going into puberty. She also shares her thoughts on ADHD and birth control/pregnancy and bracing for menopause.

Puberty blues

Calico shares there were signs of ADHD before she went through puberty. Once she went through puberty these would intensify, her official diagnosis would come as an adult. 

She recalls taking her concerns to her doctor when she was in the pre-menstrual phase because her ADHD symptoms were much worse. But she was brushed off as having anxiety or depression. 

Pregnancy & ADHD

Calico was pleasantly surprised during pregnancy, she explains her mental health drastically improved during both her pregnancies. She says her hair and skin improved, her libido was increased! She didn't experience any dopamine seeking behaviours, she felt like she could take on the world.

ADHD medication & periods

Calico points out it's important to get to know your own body and what is normal for you. One thing she noticed was her medication was less effective before her period started. Thinking it might just be her, Calico posted on social media and found many others experienced the same thing. 

She encourages women/ people with ADHD to demand better information about the impact of hormones on ADHD. 

Calico's links

About The Adulting With ADHD Podcast

It’s not just you – we aren’t talking enough about ADHD and hormones. There are so many things I wish I had known about hormones and ADHD earlier. They play such a fundamental role in the human body, deeply impacting a person’s life at all of their life stages.

As a former journalist and current ADHD’er, I unpack this topic through patient stories, expert interviews, and personal narrative.

With new episodes biweekly on Wednesdays, The Adulting With ADHD Podcast covers a variety of ADHD hormone topics including puberty, menopause, perimenopause, PMS, PMDD, and more. Why aren’t we talking about this more? What do you do if you find yourself struggling with ADHD and hormones? We discuss this and much more.

Need basic info about ADHD and hormones? Get the free quick guide at https://adultingwithadhd.com/hormones.

 

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