NICE guideline NG23
Current UK guidance on identifying and managing menopause, including the importance of individualised information and support.
Visit sourceResearch and guidance
Clear sources, useful context and room for what we still do not know.
Research on ADHD and perimenopause is growing, but it is still developing. This resource separates established guidance from emerging findings, so a study can be useful without being overstated.
How to read this page
Guidance supports decisions. Research helps us ask better questions.
NICE and the NHS are the starting point for UK clinical information. Individual research studies can highlight patterns worth understanding, but they do not replace a healthcare conversation or prove that one thing causes another. [1, 2]
NHS: Menopause and perimenopause
A clear starting point for symptoms, treatment, practical steps and support in the UK.
Visit sourcePerimenopausal symptoms in women with and without ADHD
A 2025 population-based cohort study that found higher measured perimenopausal symptom scores among women reporting ADHD. It shows an association, not a cause.
Visit sourceCognitive problems in perimenopause
A review of evidence on cognition during perimenopause, including the varied experiences of memory, attention and working memory changes.
Visit sourceResearch library
Read more, with the source type made clear.
Peer-reviewed papers, research reviews and explanatory reading serve different purposes. They are grouped here so you can see what you are reading before you open it.
Research review and position paper · 2025
Research advances and future directions in female ADHD
A 2025 peer-reviewed review and position paper mapping current evidence on female ADHD across the lifespan, including perimenopause, and identifying research priorities.
Open resourcePopulation-based cohort study · 2025
Perimenopausal symptoms in women with and without ADHD
A 2025 population-based cohort study that found higher measured symptom scores among women reporting ADHD. It reports an association and cannot explain why the difference exists.
Open resourceEvidence review · 2023
Cognitive problems in perimenopause
A review of research on cognition in perimenopause, including the range of reported attention, memory and working-memory changes.
Open resourceCommunity survey and explanatory reading
ADDitude: menopause and ADHD reader survey
A widely read explanatory article reporting ADDitude's survey of women with ADHD. It is useful for community and lived-experience context, but is not a peer-reviewed clinical study.
Open resourceA note on uncertainty
A careful answer is often more useful than a simple one.
A 2025 cohort study found higher measured perimenopausal symptom scores in women who reported ADHD than in women who did not. That is important and worth taking seriously. It does not, on its own, tell us why the difference exists, what will happen for any individual or which response is right for them. [3]
This is why the resource keeps a clear distinction between a research finding, a recognised clinical recommendation and a person’s lived experience.
Need people as well as papers?
Find UK support and practical next steps.
References
Original sources
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Menopause: identification and management (NG23), updated 15 April 2026.
- NHS. Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, reviewed 19 May 2026.
- Smári UJ, et al. Perimenopausal symptoms in women with and without ADHD. 2025.
- Metcalf C, et al. Cognitive problems in perimenopause: a review. 2023.
- Kooij JJS, et al. Research advances and future directions in female ADHD. 2025.
- ADDitude Editors. Menopause and ADHD reader survey report, updated 2025. Community survey and explanatory reading, not peer-reviewed research.
All descriptions on this site are original summaries. No article text, figures or images have been reproduced. Links take you to the original publisher or public-health source.