When My Hormones Hijack My Brain

After reading Rich Girl Nation, I went on a spending freeze for more than two months. No impulse buys. No late-night cart fills. Not even a nail appointment. I was feeling smug, like maybe I’d finally cracked my ADHD spending habits.

Then last week happened. Suddenly I was clicking “add to cart,” signing up for discount codes, and convincing myself every email coupon was urgent. Then my period arrived, on cycle day 46 (but that’s a story for another day), and it hit me: Oh. It’s not just my ADHD. It’s my hormones, too. 

The week before and during my period, my ADHD feels like it’s on steroids. Executive dysfunction becomes my default setting. Impulsiveness skyrockets. And my sensory overload? Off the charts. It’s like if my house isn’t cleaned right now, I might actually lose my mind. (Case in point: at 3 a.m. I ordered a Bissell Mini Green Machine and spent the next day deep-cleaning both couches. Who has time for that? Apparently me, during my luteal phase.)

And I’m not alone. Research shows that hormonal fluctuations can worsen ADHD symptoms in women. A review in Frontiers in Global Women’s Health notes that many women with ADHD experience increased irritability, mood swings, and cognitive symptoms during the luteal phase.

Seeing the pattern doesn’t erase the chaos, but it does change how I experience it. Knowing my brain and hormones are interacting turns moments that once felt like failure into moments of insight. It doesn’t make them easier — but it does make me feel a little less bad when I’m clicking “unsubscribe” and returning a pile of stuff I don't need. And that feels like progress.

Ask Clara: What is the luteal phase?