For many women, perimenopause brings more than just physical change. Alongside mood shifts and restless sleep, some start to notice patterns they hadn’t seen before: trouble concentrating, impulsive thoughts, or bursts of energy that come and go without warning.
It’s led to a growing conversation online and in clinics: could hormonal changes be amplifying ADHD traits, or even revealing them for the first time?
That question inspired a new study by Adele Wimsett, in collaboration with Mira, which examined how fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone affect ADHD symptoms during perimenopause.
The research offers new insight into how hormone tracking can help women better understand their focus, mood, and attention throughout this transition.
What the Mira Study Found
The study, led by Adele Wimsett in collaboration with Mira, examined how fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone affect ADHD traits in naturally menstruating, perimenopausal women. Participants tracked their hormones daily using Mira and recorded changes in attention, mood, and energy. The data revealed measurable patterns linking hormonal shifts to ADHD symptom severity.
Hormonal Fluctuations and Symptom Changes
Across the study group, ADHD traits, such as inattention, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation, worsened when estrogen and progesterone were imbalanced. Symptoms were often more pronounced at points of low progesterone and relatively high estrogen, reflecting a pattern of estrogen dominance.
This aligns with what many women report: periods of heightened distractibility, anxiety, or irritability during certain phases of the cycle or perimenopausal transition.
The Role of Estrogen and Progesterone
Perimenopause involves irregular estrogen fluctuations and a steady decline in progesterone. The study observed that this hormonal imbalance correlated with sharper ADHD traits.
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Low progesterone was linked to greater stress sensitivity and emotional instability.
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Higher estrogen relative to progesterone correlated with anxiety, overthinking, and difficulty focusing.
This may also explain why some women report improved mood and concentration during pregnancy, when progesterone levels are at their highest.
The Histamine Connection
The research explored a possible link between estrogen and histamine activity. Estrogen stimulates histamine release, which in turn affects the brain and nervous system.
Several participants displayed symptoms consistent with histamine sensitivity: such as restlessness, irritability, and disrupted sleep, suggesting a possible estrogen–histamine–ADHD interaction that warrants further study.
Mira as a Monitoring Tool
Traditional hormone tests, taken once at a clinic, cannot capture daily hormonal fluctuations. Using Mira’s urine-based hormone tracking, participants could see how estrogen and progesterone changed in real time and how those shifts aligned with symptom variations. Most described the process as both informative and validating, giving them a clearer understanding of how their hormones influenced their day-to-day mental state.
Why It Matters
Many women told us their symptoms felt like they came out of nowhere: focus slipping, mood swings becoming sharper, energy dropping. The data from our study shows those changes often align with measurable shifts in estrogen and progesterone.
Furthermore, this finding syncs with broader patterns in the research. In a recent survey by ADDitude, of over 1,500 women with diagnosed or undiagnosed ADHD, 94 % said their ADHD symptoms worsened during perimenopause and menopause. More than half described memory problems and feelings of overwhelm in their 40s and 50s as “life-altering”.
When hormone readings and symptom logs are seen side by side, they create context for what feels unpredictable. Clinicians and patients can use that context to spot when symptoms are most likely to flare, adjust plans, and tailor treatments more responsively.
Mira makes that alignment visible. Women using daily hormone tracking can see when their biology lines up (or conflicts) with how they feel. That clarity often becomes a turning point; from guessing what’s happening to knowing.
Rethinking Perimenopause
Perimenopause often reveals more than physical change.
It helps women recognize how hormones shape focus, emotion, and energy in ways that may have gone unnoticed for years. For some, this awareness brings a new understanding of their ADHD, not as something new, but as something that finally makes sense.
Scientific research continues to show how hormone fluctuations affect the brain, and studies like the Mira–Wimsett collaboration turn those findings into practical insight. Each data point connects science with daily experience, helping women move from guessing to truly knowing what their bodies are telling them.
At Mira, we believe that understanding hormones is power. Our vision is to help women see their biology clearly, so they can take charge of their health with knowledge, confidence, and self-trust.
Hormone tracking is not just about data, it’s about giving women the clarity they deserve to live and feel well through every stage of life.
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