Kathrine Bang Madsen

Thank you.

Well, so we have seen a major increase in ADHD diagnosis in the recent years.

And we have seen that especially among women of reproductive age.

But we knew very little about how pregnancy, childbirth and also becoming a parent would actually or maybe shape the recognition and diagnosing of ADHD in these women.

But of course, we had some idea that it might.

Also, I have talked to a lot of women who described that their difficulties surfaced or they become more difficult to handle after giving birth.

So, of course, that is the combination that sort of motivated us to do this study.

Yeah, so in adult women, we would perhaps see more inattentive types.

So they would have difficulties concentrating.

They would have difficulties in a working memory, for instance, also in initiating tasks.

Also, there's this huge area, which is actually not part of the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis, but emotion regulation is a huge thing, and especially among women.

And so being able to cope with your emotions.

So either you will feel ecstatic or you will feel very sad or down.

And that is some of the symptoms that are more pronounced in women.

Maybe it could be both, right?

Because you wouldn't necessarily seek help during pregnancies for problems like inattention.

So this is a time period where most often, I'm not sure it's the same in the US, but in Denmark, at least, or in the Nordic countries, you can go on maternity leave a few months before you're due.

And that means that all the demands are perhaps lesser than they would be, so they're not experiencing the difficulties that much.

But there's also the hormonal picture, right?

Because during pregnancy, we see a steady rise in estrogen and progesterone, and we know that has an implication of how you're managing your ADHD symptoms.