By: Shawn Mars
Kristen Baird-Goldman, a licensed clinician, women’s health advocate, and educator, is challenging the assumption that forgetfulness, overwhelm, and emotional volatility in midlife are simply part of getting older. For her, the overlooked link between hormonal change and ADHD has become impossible to ignore. “People don’t realize the connection between estrogen and dopamine,” she says. “When estrogen drops, dopamine drops too. That directly affects your brain’s ability to focus, regulate emotions, and process information, all areas already challenged by ADHD.”
Her own experience began after having her second child at age 40, when she noticed subtle changes in her focus and energy that she attributed to the demands of new motherhood. By her mid-40s, however, she hit what she calls “a wall”, fatigue deepened into brain fog, emotional instability, and the fear she might be developing early dementia. Standard bloodwork showed everything was “within the norm,” but when she turned to a functional medicine practitioner, she discovered her hormones were swinging wildly, estrogen levels soaring to those seen in pregnancy before plummeting to the range of a woman in her 70s. “It felt like my body was on fire. My mind was failing me. And my ADHD symptoms were out of control.”
Alongside cognitive and emotional shifts, Kristen began experiencing intense sensory changes. Everyday sounds became unbearable, certain smells made her feel physically ill, and even light touch felt strange and uncomfortable. “These are sensory-processing challenges,” she explains, “often worsened by hormone fluctuations, but nobody was talking about it.” Through a combination of bioidentical hormone therapy, ADHD-specific care, and lifestyle adjustments such as targeted exercise and nutrition, she gradually regained stability. But the road was far from straightforward. “There’s no single practitioner who understands both ADHD and hormones,” she says. “You have to build a team and advocate for yourself every step of the way.”
Her personal story finds strong support in the growing body of psychiatric research on the impact of hormonal transitions. A themed June 2025 issue of The British Journal of Psychiatry, titled Psychiatric Symptoms on the Ovarian Hormone Roller-Coaster, underscores how fluctuations in ovarian hormones can profoundly affect mood, cognition, and psychiatric symptoms across a woman’s life, from menstruation to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. The editors highlight that women with existing conditions such as ADHD or mood disorders may be especially vulnerable during these transitions. They call for sex-specific, hormone-informed psychiatric care and warn that decades of male-centered research have left critical gaps in understanding women’s mental health. The issue also stresses the importance of moving this knowledge out of academic journals and into public conversation, so women can access clear, actionable information without having to search medical databases.
Kristen sees similar systemic failures in everyday healthcare. She points to the legacy of flawed interpretations of the Women’s Health Initiative, which for years discouraged women from seeking hormone therapy, even though subsequent research has shown those early conclusions were misleading. She believes the conversation must shift beyond clinical settings. “We need to see this information in places like Oprah Daily, Goop, and Women’s Health,” she says. “Women shouldn’t have to dig through medical journals to understand their own bodies.”
Her message to women over 40 is urgent and compassionate: “If you feel like you’re falling apart, you’re not crazy. You’re not weak. And you’re definitely not alone. Trust yourself. Find ADHD-informed professionals. Find providers who understand hormones. Keep asking questions until someone listens.” As both her personal experience and the latest research make clear, midlife mental health for women is not simply about aging gracefully, it’s about recognizing the powerful role of hormones, demanding care that reflects that reality, and refusing to settle for a system that wasn’t built with them in mind.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Readers are encouraged to consult with a healthcare professional for personalized guidance on hormonal health, ADHD, or any related conditions.
