Ash Tree Hormone

Take Charge of your Health

Navigating the "Perfect Storm" of ADHD and Perimenopause shouldn't feel like a solo mission.

Reclaim your focus, your energy, and your life.

We create personalized lifestyle and hormone plans to help you feel better

No more feeling embarrassed or behind

Get things done without feeling overwhelmed

Remember why you walked into the room

Your brain finally feels like it’s working with you

I help women with ADHD navigate perimenopause through hormone optimization and virtual

My goal is to support you in feeling more focused, balanced, and energized, so you can move beyond simply surviving perimenopause and truly thrive.

Who This is For

You might be in the right place if you:

You used to manage your ADHD just fine, but now your brain feels scattered, exhausted, and unpredictable, affecting your work, focus, and relationships.
You are 35 - 60 years old and feel “off” but can’t pinpoint why
Experience fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, sleep issues, or weight resistance, or just feel like you are struggling more than you use to
Suspect perimenopause or hormones are the cause but feel dismissed or confused
Want straightforward answers, not generic advice
Need guidance that works with ADHD, busy schedules, and real life

You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to be ready to feel better.

Apply for a tailored hormone support plan

What Makes This Different

We’re different because our provider gets it. She has ADHD too!

Hormone care is complex, especially during perimenopause when it makes ADHD symptoms "louder". Your symptoms, body, daily habits, and how your mind and energy respond all matter.

In our 1:1 work together, we use The ASH Method™ to focus on:

Root causes, not just symptom suppression
Education so you understand what’s happening in your body
Simple, sustainable steps you can actually follow
Ongoing support, not rushed appointments

Meet Our Provider

Shannon Santo, DNP, WHNP-BC, CNM

Shannon is a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner with 20+ years of experience. She helps women balance hormones, manage perimenopause symptoms, and navigate midlife with practical, personalized care.

As someone with ADHD herself, she provides ADHD-friendly, realistic strategies for focus, energy, and brain fog, without shame or overwhelm.

Shannon is also an Associate Clinical Professor at Arizona State University, mentoring future nurses, and she enjoys creativity, family, and staying active in her community.

Shannon values creativity, balance, and connection. She enjoys reading, crafting, and gardening, spending time with her blended family, and attending her son’s performances with the Scottsdale Philharmonic.

How 1:1 Health Consulting Works

This is not a one-size-fits-all program.

Step 1: Apply

Complete a short application so I can understand your goals, symptoms, and health history. You’ll then be invited to schedule a complimentary 15–20 minute virtual exploration call. This conversation allows us to clarify your needs, answer questions, and determine whether my approach is the right next step for you — with no pressure or obligation.

Step 2: Comprehensive Consultation

We meet virtually for a 60–90 minute comprehensive case review of your symptoms, medical history, lifestyle factors, prior treatments, and current concerns.

The purpose of this visit is diagnostic and strategic, to uncover what may be driving your symptoms and determine whether working together 1:1 is likely to help you achieve meaningful improvement.

This session is focused, thorough, and collaborative. By the end, you will understand what’s been driving your symptoms and have a clear path forward so you can focus, sleep, and function without second-guessing your body every day.

Step 3: Personalized Plan

If we decide to move forward together, you receive a customized plan that may include:

Hormone education and cycle/perimenopause mapping
Lifestyle and nutrition strategies
Supplement and non-pharmaceutical support (when appropriate)
Lab review and interpretation
Clear next steps and priorities

Step 4: Ongoing Support

Follow-up visits allow us to adjust, refine, and support your hormones so your brain finally feels like it’s working with you again.your progress over time.

Areas of Focus

Going through midlife changes: Your body’s hormones are shifting as you get older.
Hormones that matter: Things like estrogen, progesterone, stress hormones, and thyroid affect how you feel.
Feeling off: Tiredness, forgetfulness, and mood swings are common.
Sleep and stress: Trouble sleeping or handling stress can make everything harder.
ADHD-friendly tips: Simple ways to organize, focus, and get things done.
Body changes: Harder to lose weight and metabolism may slow down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at ashtreehormone@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Why does my ADHD suddenly feel so much worse?

Perimenopause can make ADHD symptoms feel significantly worse because changing estrogen levels affect dopamine, which plays a major role in attention, motivation, working memory, and emotional regulation.

Many women notice:

More forgetfulness
More overwhelm
More difficulty starting tasks
More emotional reactivity
More trouble focusing even with medication

This often starts years before periods stop completely and may come and go as hormone levels fluctuate.

Why does my ADHD medication feel like it stopped working?

Your medication may not have stopped working, but hormonal changes can make it feel less effective at certain times of the month or during perimenopause overall.

Estrogen helps support dopamine activity in the brain. When estrogen levels fall or become unpredictable, some women notice:

Shorter duration of medication effects
Less improvement in focus
More "breakthrough" symptoms
Greater variability from day to day

Other factors such as poor sleep, stress, and increased life demands during midlife can also contribute.

Is this brain fog from perimenopause or am I losing my mind?

Brain fog is extremely common during perimenopause and does not mean you are developing dementia.

Women commonly report:

Difficulty finding words
Forgetting appointments
Losing track of conversations
Trouble multitasking
Slower processing speed

These symptoms are usually related to hormonal changes, sleep disruption, stress, and sometimes ADHD rather than neurodegenerative disease. However, new or rapidly worsening cognitive symptoms should still be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Why am I suddenly so overwhelmed by things I used to manage easily?

Your brain may be dealing with the combined effects of ADHD, fluctuating hormones, poor sleep, stress, and increased responsibilities all at the same time.

Many women in midlife are simultaneously managing:

Careers
Aging parents
Teenagers or young adults
Relationships
Household responsibilities

When the brain has less cognitive reserve available, tasks that once felt manageable can start feeling disproportionately difficult.

Why am I gaining weight when I'm eating the same way I always have?

Weight gain during perimenopause is common even without major changes in eating habits because metabolism, muscle mass, activity levels, sleep, and hormones all change during midlife.

Several factors can contribute:

Loss of muscle mass over time
Reduced energy expenditure
Poor sleep
Increased insulin resistance
Stress and cortisol changes
Changes in hunger and fullness signals

This does not mean weight gain is inevitable or that you are doing something wrong, but strategies that worked in your 20s or 30s often become less effective and may need to be adjusted.

What services does Ash Tree Hormone offer?

We provide individualized health consulting and education designed to support high functioning women with ADHD in regaining clarity, confidence, and control. A provider–patient relationship is established only after completion of appropriate intake and consent processes.

Is this virtual?

Yes. All visits are conducted via secure telehealth.

Do you prescribe medication?

This depends on your location, needs, and scope of care discussed during your in-depth consultation

Join Our Mailing List

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No fluff. No overwhelm. Just personalized insights, perimenopause education, and realistic strategies that actually work.

Disclaimer & Legal Notice

I am a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) licensed in Arizona. Clinical care and prescriptions are only provided to patients located in Arizona, in accordance with state law.

For clients outside of Arizona, I provide health consulting, education, and coaching. This is informational and supportive, not a substitute for medical care or a provider–patient relationship.

A provider–patient relationship is established only after completion of required intake and consent.

All information shared through consultations, emails, or this website is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from a licensed healthcare provider in your state.

Clients are responsible for consulting their own medical providers regarding any health concerns, medications, or treatments.

Master the "Perfect Storm" of ADHD and Perimenopause