Migraine

As your body begins perimenopause – or even the phase in which the body prepares to enter perimenopause – migraines can be particularly troublesome. These headaches can increase in intensity and/or frequency, or return after being dormant for many years.  Even after you stop having your period, the headaches just might stick around.

Menopause means something different to every woman. For some, it signals the end of heavy periods and painful cramps; for others it brings hot flashes and weight gain. For those who suffer from fatigue and/or migraines, menopause can be downright excruciating.

Migraines are characterized by severe, throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head. Additionally, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound may accompany migraines. Migraines are caused by a series of vascular changes in the brain and can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours. Migraine triggers include certain foods, stress or lack of sleep. A migraine occurs when blood vessels in the brain constrict and other blood vessels overcompensate and dilate, increasing blood flow to the brain. Those dilated blood vessels press against nerves and are what cause the debilitating pain.

For some women, hormones are to blame for migraines, particularly estrogen and progesterone, which affect brain neurotransmitter levels. A lack of estrogen can also impact the proteins that moderate pain, which means greater sensitivity to headaches. According to The Midlife Bible — A Woman's Survival Guide, after menopauseclose to 66 percent of women will experience an improvement in migraines, while the migraines will get worse for 10 percent of women.

Migraine Treatment

Menopause means something different to every woman. For some, it signals the end of heavy periods and painful cramps; for others it brings hot flashes and weight gain. For those who suffer from fatigue and/or migraines, menopause can be downright excruciating

While HRT can provide a reprieve from many of menopause’s more severe symptoms, it doesn’t always bring relief from migraines.  Women on HRT have reported more migraines versus those not on HRT.  If you suffer from migraines, consider hormones delivered through the skin by patches or creams as they provide continuous dosing, while oral hormones can cause fluctuating estrogen levels.

Unlike most ailments, lifestyle changes (such as eating regular meals and avoiding trigger foods) have little to no effect on menopausal migraines. Even natural menopause relief products like Black Cohosh and soy, don’t have much estrogen and may actually cause a migraine.  Women who suffer from menopause-related migraines should consider treating their headaches with triptans (sumatriptan, zolmitriptam, rizatriptan, eletriptan and naratriptan), which are a class of drug introduced in the 1990s that treat headaches effectively, but can’t be taken preventively.

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