Autism

Autism and autism spectrum disorders were once seen as a predominantly male condition, and unfortunately this means there is a paucity of studies undertaken in women. Some small studies do indicate however that autistic women may have increased difficulties during times of hormonal changes.

• A qualitative interview study that included 17 autistic participants found that menopausal experiences varied greatly, but some individuals with autism experienced a deterioration in everyday function, communicative ability, relationships, emotional regulation and mental health.

• Two studies have described increased premenstrual symptoms in autistic women:

  1. Lever and Guerts undertook an adult cohort study of 247 adults and reported that 21% of autistic women, compared to 3% of non-autistic women, suffered from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
  2. In a much smaller prospective study, Obaydi and Puri found that 92% of autistic women with learning difficulties (n=26) experienced PMDD, compared with 11% of non-autistic women with learning difficulties (n=36). This difference was highly statistically significant.

• In contrast to the above, a more recent study undertaken by Groenman and colleagues did not find that PMDD was significantly higher in autistic women. However, it did find that autistic women experience more menopausal symptoms.

Experiencing more symptoms or menopausal complaints may mean that the hormone balance is different in neurodiverse women; however, this has not been researched. Another possible explanation is that neurodiverse women may be more sensitive to hormone changes during the menopause transition due to their overall increased sensory sensitivity.