Women History And Health

Leading the Change

Women in ADHD, Advancing Research and Care

MARCH 2026

Across research labs, classrooms, clinics, and communities, women are reshaping the conversation about ADHD.

During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the progress made in understanding ADHD in women and girls, recognizing symptoms that are often missed, and pushing for fair, effective care. CHADD proudly recognizes the researchers, clinicians, educators, and advocates driving this change, many of whom have helped to build CHADD’s community and resources.

While our knowledge has advanced in remarkable ways, too many girls and women are still diagnosed late, misdiagnosed, or unsupported. We remain committed to elevating women’s voices, strengthening research, and ensuring access to compassionate, evidence-based care for every woman and girl with ADHD.

Leading the Change: Women Advancing ADHD Research

Our understanding of how ADHD affects girls and women continues to grow. Much of that progress has been driven by researchers, clinicians, and practitioners who are women. Early ADHD studies largely focused on hyperactive boys and were often conducted by male researchers. By asking new questions, challenging assumptions, and drawing on both scientific insight and lived experience, women in the field helped broaden the research and bring new perspectives into our evolving understanding of ADHD. Their work has been essential in recognizing how ADHD presents across the lifespan and in ensuring that girls and women receive the attention, research, and care they deserve.…

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Leading the Change in Research

Select the researcher's image to learn more about her role in advancing our understanding of ADHD.

J. Faye Dixon, PhD

U. Diane Buckingham, MD

Ellen Littman, PhD

Margaret D. Weiss, MD, CM, PhD

Rosemary Tannock, PhD

Patricia O. Quinn, MD

Kathleen Nadeau, PhD

Lily Hechtman, MD, FRCP

Virginia Douglas, PhD

Hilda Knobloch, MD, DrPH

We’ve Come a Long Way: Advances in ADHD Care for Women

Jane Indergaard, DNP, RN, explores the growing recognition and understanding of ADHD in women. Historically, ADHD has gone unrecognized in girls and women, many of whom were misdiagnosed with other conditions, often leading to years of confusion, self-doubt, and unnecessary struggle. This conversation highlights how increased awareness is helping women finally connect the dots later in life and how diagnosis can transform self-understanding. Dr. Indergaard discusses what we’re learning from recent research on hormone fluctuations, medications, treatments, and other factors. She describes how women with ADHD can benefit from this information throughout their lives. Science is finally catching up to what women have been saying for years! Yet although our knowledge has advanced in remarkable ways, too many girls and women still don’t receive the care and support they need. How can we do better? Ultimately, her message is one of hope: Late diagnosis doesn’t define you, it explains you. Understanding how the ADHD brain works can help women rewrite their stories and move forward with greater self-compassion and possibility.

How Hormones Affect ADHD in Women

Hormones play a powerful—and often overlooked—role in how ADHD shows up across a woman’s lifespan. In this episode of All Things ADHD, Dara Abraham, DO, a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in adult ADHD, unpacks how hormonal shifts from puberty through perimenopause and menopause can affect focus, mood, energy, and medication response. Dr. Abraham explains the interplay between estrogen, progesterone, and key brain chemicals, why ADHD is often missed or misunderstood in girls and women, and why symptoms may intensify at certain points in the menstrual cycle or later in life. The conversation also explores practical, evidence-based strategies for managing ADHD during hormonal transitions, including treatment adjustments, self-advocacy, and lifestyle supports—offering insight for women who have ADHD, parents of girls and adolescents with ADHD, and clinicians alike.