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Menopause is a completely natural phase in life. Some women have very few symptoms others find this mid-life transition very challenging. Normally when women approach their mid 40’s common signs such as anxiety, reduced confidence, insomnia, brain fog and low mood can appear from nowhere. Coping with these emotions can be challenging but what if you’re an Autistic woman or have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? (ADHD). Menopausal symptoms can be more severe.

I will explain how you can get menopausal help and support from healthcare professionals and people you live and work with.

What are these conditions?

Many people will assume it just affects children, but this isn’t the case. More and more middle-aged women are being diagnosed. Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia (there are more) and are often grouped as Neurological disorders and women are Neurodivergent (ND). No one really knows the cause but there’s a genetic link. If your children or siblings have a ND it’s worth checking if you do too. People who are ND view the world in a slightly different yet unique way. ND is a Spectrum and everyone has different traits which can be fairly mild or very significant. Women who are ND may have their own challenges such as difficulties with communication, understanding and socialising. Everyone is different.

Autistic/ADHD women have different ways of “coping” in a world that doesn’t cater for them. Living in a world that is at odds with their emotions, senses and perceptions can be very difficult to navigate and many ND women have mental health problems. Living in a constant state of “role playing” is very stressful, extremely tiring and causes huge amounts of anxiety. Women with ND have unique ways of “fitting in, masking or Camouflaging” into society, working very hard to “Look normal”. Hiding who they really are and covering their ND traits to stop the world seeing them as “different”

Learning and copying what other “normal” or Neuro Typical (NT) women say and do in situations. ND women are very skilled at copying NT behaviours but all this comes at a huge emotional and physical cost.

What happens to Autistic/ADHD women during the menopause?

The answer it a huge amount. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that sends messages into cells. Dopamine has many roles and gives us feelings of achievement, wellbeing and pleasure. Dopamine receptors are found all over the body and are linked to many hormones but especially Oestrogen. During menopause Oestrogen levels fluctuate and fall and this affects Dopamine and Serotonin. Dopamine helps us plan daily tasks, makes us happy and able to think clearly. Symptoms of low Oestrogen during the menopause are complex. Progesterone changes especially in the last 10 days before a period and lower levels of Oestrogen and Dopamine have a significant impact on ND women.

As hormone levels fluctuate the ability to “act, mask or Camouflage” becomes more difficult if not impossible to do. Feeling out of control and unable to keep up the pretence of looking and acting like a “normal” person, means others around them may see a very different person. This will cause huge anxiety, increased sickness, time off work, an inability to cope and many ND women will withdraw. Home is often a safe and secure place where ND women do not have to act to “be normal”; they can be themselves. Many ND women have more mental health, contemplate suicide and have physical problems too. Menopause can cause many physical symptoms such as insomnia, aching joints, painful periods and headaches. ND women may experience pain differently and this needs to be taken into consideration by healthcare professionals, employers and friends.

What do ND women say about their lives during the Menopause?

These are quotes from 2 ADHD ladies I talked with.

What are your experiences?

“I found my moods got incredibly worse. Nurses told me to go to a dementia clinic if I thought my memory was terrible. Not a great thing to say to someone who has ADHD as we tend to mind mash and panic. We need different angles and treatment with having ADHD”.

“Suddenly I was making mistakes, completing then forgetting entire conversations and couldn’t focus long enough to read more than one page or two book pages at a time. I was talking to myself, loosing things, making notes and forgetting they existed. My Psychiatrist diagnosed me and I realised I’d had it my entire life. Obviously, the dip in Oestrogen greatly elevated my ADHD. It’s amazing no-one has ever studied this until recently!”.

My experience.

ND has affected my friends and family and I wanted to help them as much as possible. I researched and fought very hard to have my voice heard. Trying to get professionals to listen and to acknowledge that something wasn’t right was very frustrating for us all. Getting a diagnosis has really helped them understand why they think, act and do as they do. We all understand their limitations, why they need “time out” and their work and family have adjusted enable them to live a better life.

Over the last few years I have supported more and more women who have been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. I undertook some training on Autism with the National Autistic Society and I’m registered on their website to support Autistic women during the Menopause. I’ve studied how Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), female hormones and Neurotransmitters impact ADHD and Menopausal symptoms. I’ve been fortunate to have provided training on Menopause to ADHD Health Care Professionals. I’ve written training programmes on ND during Menopause to enable employers and employees to understand and provide support at work.

How can we support ND women more during the menopause?

Healthcare

Having a greater understanding of Autism and ADHD is essential. Health professionals need to acknowledge how menopause can impact ND women. If mental health has worsened; then health professionals need to ask why and how best to support them. HRT can make a considerable difference to their physical and emotional symptoms. Explaining about menopause is vital. Normalising menopause is critical. When we’ve prescribed HRT to ND women we’ve seen how their quality of life has significantly improved. Their ADHD medications were adjusted; as we identified their symptoms were exacerbated by low Oestrogen. When Oestrogen levels rise suddenly women cope much better.

Why not book an menopause consultation with Bourne2care? We ask if you have a disability to enable us to accommodate your needs. Some Autistic women can’t face the camera or need a friend with them during the consultation and we provide longer consultations too. We aim to make you feel as safe and supported as possible. For information please email enquiries@bourne2care.co.uk

Work

Within the workplace you may have seen colleagues struggling more, looking more anxious or stressed. ND is a registered disability and all employers will need to understand how the law and needs of ND women. Communicating or understanding their own feelings is something ND women often find hard. During the menopause it only becomes more difficult. HR can support ND women with risk assessments and accommodations.

Bourne2care delivers menopause awareness training within the workplace; discussing how menopause can affect all people but especially ND women. HRT, lifestyle changes plus understanding ND can make a massive difference.

For consultancy or training; Bourne2care provides training on raising the awareness of Menopause and ND, hormonal changes and health within the workplace. For more information, please email enquiries@bourne2care.co.uk

Top Tips

Talk to healthcare professionals about menopause. List your symptoms, make notes to discuss with your doctors. During Midlife many women get diagnosed as having a ND. Seek professional regulated services to get and assessment and talk to her health providers. Ask your GP about menopause. Contact Bourne2care. Talk to your family and employer.

Please check out these websites and fb links.

www.autism.org.uk

www.adhdfoundation.org.uk

www.mind.org.uk

www.facebook.com/bourne2care

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