Working together to improve care for women
Women with ADHD often suffer from hormonal mood swings/depression or cardiac issues, or all of them. This means treatment by three different specialists, yet each of them will see just one part of the actual problem. Consequently, many women end up on as many as three long waiting lists. This needs to be tackled better and faster.
Live webinar
Empowerment van patiënten en professionals
Tijdens dit webinar zullen we het hebben over het stigma rondom de klachten bij vrouwen met ADHD.
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Common misunderstandings
ADHD only occurs in menHormones give you cancerIf an examination finds no heart abnormalities, then the menopause must be the causeWomen shouldn’t moan!Awareness
Hormones protect your heart but also your brainHeart problems in women are different to those in menA woman's heart develops disease(s) in a different wayWomen with ADHD experience mood swings more often when going through hormonal fluctuations (oestrogens)Current hormone supplements are safe
Who are we?
Let’s introduce ourselves!
The Head Heart Hormones (H3) Network foundation (Stichting Hoofd Hart Hormonen (H3) Netwerk) was established by Sandra Kooij (psychiatrist), Janneke Wittekoek (cardiologist) and Dorenda van Dijken (gynaecologist) in 2022. The three of us comprise the board of the H3 Network. What motivated us was the discovery that ADHD, heart problems and hormonal mood swings often occur in one and the same patient.
Dorenda van Dijken (gynaecologist)
Janneke Wittekoek (cardiologist)
Sandra Kooij (psychiatrist)
Why have an H3 Network?
There are still many misconceptions about women with ADHD who have heart problems and are going through the menopause, and about hormone supplements. These are preventing women from getting the help they really need. So, that’s want we want to improve. We want as many professionals and experts through personal experience as possible to join the network so that it grows as large as it can to help all concerned. We have started with ADHD as the focal issue, but expect that women with other mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, PMDD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety and depression will also be facing similar problems.
Research shows that women with ADHD show an above average frequency of suffering hormonal mood swings/depression and heart problems, and mainly in the period in and around the menopause. These symptoms often go unrecognised by doctors, leaving women facing unnecessarily long waiting lists or not receiving the right help, or both. This needs to change! The objective of the H3 Network is for its members to share knowledge with one another to achieve better and faster recognition of the symptoms, and to achieve better treatment for women though mutual – interdisciplinary – collaboration.
There are still many misconceptions about women with ADHD who experience heart problems and are going through the menopause, and about hormone supplements, which prevent women from getting the help they need. With this in mind, we will be organising webinars and e-learning sessions through the H3 website. We will also be sharing tools, information, questionnaires and links. Participating professionals will be added to the H3 Network list, making it possible for women who need help to find them. Experts through personal experience will be able to use the network to support one another and share their experiences. At present, in-person or online consultation with members of the board of the H3 Network is not possible.
The H3 Network is already involved in research:
- Research carried out by Dutch mental healthcare provider PsyQ has shown that women with ADHD experience pre-menstrual, postpartum and perimenopausal mood problems 2 to 3 times more frequently than the general population (Dorani, 2021).
- At the gynaecology outpatient department of Amsterdam’s OLVG hospital, screenings for ADHD are carried out in complicated menopause cases. The next step will be to add ADHD screening in women with premenstrual and postpartum depression.
- Through screening, the Heartlife clinic (Heartlife Kliniek) established that of 300 women with heart issues, 35 percent had ADHD; that’s 7-10 times higher than in the general population.
We would like to invite all interested professionals and those with personal experience (patients) to join us. All knowledge is welcome and needed so that everyone can benefit.
The H3 Network is a non-profit foundation and is not sponsored.
Contributions towards the launch of the website were provided by the Dutch ADHD Network, the Heartlife Kliniek and Parnassia Groep.
