{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Modern Midlife Collective","title":"Episode 38: Brain Fog, ADHD, or Both? How Perimenopause Changes Your Brain","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2279,"description":"Is that brain fog… or something more? Dr. Jillian and Dr. Ade break down how to actually tell the difference between perimenopausal brain fog, adult ADHD, and the surprisingly common overlap between the two — plus why so many women are only being diagnosed with ADHD for the first time in their 40s and 50s. They walk through the clues that separate the two, the estrogen-dopamine connection driving it all, how it shows up in relationships and parenting, and exactly what to say at your next appointment.\nSHOW NOTES\n\nIf the brain you’ve relied on for decades suddenly feels unreliable, you’re not lazy, careless, or incapable — and you may be one of three things: experiencing genuine perimenopausal brain fog, uncovering ADHD that’s been masked for decades, or dealing with both at once. In this episode, Dr. Jillian and Dr. Ade walk through the exact framework they use in clinic to help you tell the difference.\nIn this episode:What ADHD actually is: current presentations (predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, combined), and why “ADD” is now called ADHD, predominantly inattentive presentationThe three-bucket framework: perimenopausal cognitive change, undiagnosed ADHD surfacing, or both togetherFour clues that help separate them — timing and history, how broad the symptoms are, where they show up, and how much effort it’s taken to compensateThe estrogen-dopamine connection: why hormonal transition changes the environment attention and executive function operate inWhy so many women are only recognizing ADHD in midlife, and the historical gap in how girls were diagnosedHow this shows up at the kitchen table — in marriages, parenting, and intimacyWhat actually helps, and exactly what to say at your next appointmentBy the numbers:Nearly 60% of perimenopausal women report real memory complaints, per the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)A 2025 population-based study of over 5,300 women (the Icelandic SAGA cohort) found 54.2% of women with...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/vSb4RMla_S75bpWB9Zxjk3g6nojoX9zmEdCD7Xe_JSw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMTZj/YjIwZGE1ZTU5Mjk2/NmU2NTU1NmM3N2Ni/ZTc0MC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}