Many women experience migraines that are caused by their menstrual cycle. The migraines and headaches can improve as women age, more specifically as they enter the menopause stage. While menopause can lessen the headaches, it does not make the headaches go away completely.
According to a study, migraines appear to be affected by the type of menopause -- spontaneous (natural) menopause or forced menopause. Among women who had natural menopause, 9% reported worsened migraines, 24% reported no change and 67% reported that their migraines improved, meaning they experienced less painful migraines and decreased occurrence of migraines. However, in women who had forced menopause through the surgical removal of the ovaries, 33% reported migraine improvement while 67% reported that their migraines only got even worse.
Perimenopause
Some women who enter the menopause stage experience migraines that are a lot more painful than before. Women who have never had migraines find themselves having to deal through with the pain for the first time as soon as they hit menopause. During this time, the estrogen and progesterone levels begin to heavily fluctuate, and this period is often referred to as perimenopause.
So how can you tell if your are in the perimenopause stage? Your migraines and headaches worsen, for one. If you have never had a migraine or headache before and you start having them now, it may mean that you are in perimenopause. Other symptoms of perimenopause include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and loss of memory. You may also be a candidate for perimenopause if you often find yourself on the verge of tears and you have feelings of anger and depression.
If you experience any or all of the symptoms of menopause, there are several things you can do. You can undergo hormone replacement therapy as well as start taking estrogen supplements. However, you will need to consult with your doctor in both instances. You can also take in black cohosh, soy isoflavones, fennel, vitamin E and red clover extract.
However, if you have been diagnosed with estrogen-receptive breast cancer and you are taking tamoxifen, you cannot use the above mentioned products since they all work by using plant estrogens. It is wise to talk to your doctor first before you start on any medication or therapy.
Treatment for Menopause Headaches
If you have had headaches and migraines before you hit menopause, the bad news is that the painkiller drugs or the treatments you used are likely to not work for you anymore. It is best that you talk to your doctor and ask which medication can help treat your menopause headaches. Some women tend to turn to alternative, natural and complementary medicines.
Changes in hormone levels trigger menopause headaches and migraines. Menopause is a condition where women experience extreme hormonal fluctuations. These fluctuations are what trigger the menopause headaches in some women. As the menopause progresses, the changes in hormonal levels start to even out that eventually, the frequency and severity of migraines and headaches begin to decline.
Women who are between 55 and 60 years old are towards the end of their menopause. However, it has been found that more women than men still suffer from migraines in that age range. What this suggests is that there may yet be another thing that is triggering the migraines. Right now, that other menopause headache trigger remains unknown.
For more help on the prevention, treatment and remedies for migraines please see the Complete Guide To Migraine Headaches.
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