Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41517370›Full record

ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2025

Menstrual Cycle-Related Hormonal Fluctuations in ADHD: Effect on Cognitive Functioning-A Narrative Review.

Dora Wynchank, Regina M G T M F Sutrisno, Emma van Andel, J J Sandra Kooij

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. ADHD: Beyond Core Symptoms and Specialist Care.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026
    Article
  2. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Dora WynchankExpertise Center Adult ADHD, PsyQ, Parnassia Group, Carel Reinierszkade 197, 2593 HR The Hague, The Netherlands.
Regina M G T M F SutrisnoExpertise Center Adult ADHD, PsyQ, Parnassia Group, Carel Reinierszkade 197, 2593 HR The Hague, The Netherlands.
Emma van AndelExpertise Center Adult ADHD, PsyQ, Parnassia Group, Carel Reinierszkade 197, 2593 HR The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7987-8865
J J Sandra KooijExpertise Center Adult ADHD, PsyQ, Parnassia Group, Carel Reinierszkade 197, 2593 HR The Hague, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8644-6323

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder linked to impaired cognition and altered dopamine neurotransmission. Emerging evidence suggests that women with ADHD experience pronounced hormone-related difficulties, with menstrual cycle-related changes in mood and cognition interfering with daily functioning and diminishing treatment efficacy. This review examines the influence of hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle on cognitive functioning and ADHD symptomatology in women. A comprehensive literature search of Ovid EmBase identified studies published between 2015 and 2025 examining cognitive performance, including attention, executive functioning, working memory, and inhibitory control, across menstrual cycle phases in women with or without ADHD. Twenty-nine studies met inclusion criteria. Neurobiological measurements included hormonal assays, neuroimaging, and neurotransmitter models. Seven studies in non-clinical populations suggested that attentional processing was enhanced during the mid-luteal phase, which may be linked to higher progesterone levels. By contrast, four studies in women with ADHD and six studies in women with mood-related disorders, such as PMS or PMDD, consistently observed impairments in attention, executive function, and impulsivity during the mid-luteal and pre-menstrual phases. These objective findings parallel subjective reports of worsened cognition, heightened mood symptoms, and diminished medication efficacy during the luteal phase. Current evidence indicates that ADHD-related cognitive functioning fluctuates with the menstrual cycle, with impairments particularly evident in women with ADHD and/or comorbid mood disorders. These changes may reflect increased sensitivity to allopregnanolone, peri-menstrual oestrogen withdrawal, and the absence of compensatory neural adaptations observed in non-clinical populations. However, findings remain preliminary and sometimes contradictory due to methodological heterogeneity and small sample sizes. Further research is needed to clarify these mechanisms and, importantly, to translate theoretical insights into clinical application through female-specific diagnostic procedures and treatment strategies.

Indexed as

ADHDattentioncognitive functionexecutive functionimpulsivityinhibitory controlmenstrual cycleoestradioloestrogenovarian hormonespremenstrual dysphoric disorderpremenstrual syndromeprogesterone

Identifiers

PMID41517370
PMCPMC12786913

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.