Menopause & Migraines

Many women know the harsh reality of migraine headaches. You are moving along with your day and doing just fine. You are keeping up on your schedule and handling the stress, then suddenly, it hits. Pain and sensitivity to light and sound are just a few of the symptoms that may knock you off your feet.

While some migraines may only last a few hours, others can continue for days, completely disrupting your life. If you are getting older, you may start to experience migraines for the first time, or find they are increasing. Before you start to panic that something is wrong, you should consider that your migraines might actually be linked to your menopause.

So why do menopausal women experience more migraines? The most common cause of migraines is the fluctuating levels of hormones in the body. Many women with migraines may notice that they occur at certain times during the month. This is because their migraines are related to their estrogen levels.

Menopause cause bigger changes and may result in more frequent or severe migraines. Your doctor can probably help you treat these migraines with lifestyle changes and herbal remedies. Be wary of starting hormone replacement therapy because this may actually worsen your migraines.

Not all migraines are caused by fluctuating hormones. A fewer number of women have migraines triggered by being emotional or stressed out. Once these women reach menopause, they will probably find themselves more emotional and more stressed out. The cure for these migraines may be to simply relax. Take a bath, meditate or use aromatherapy. Once you unwind, your migraine may get better.

If you are approaching the age of 50, and you begin to get migraines, you are more likely to be entering menopause rather than have a serious problem, but you should still consult a doctor. A very few number of migraines are caused by serious problems. The sooner these problems are treated, the better of you will be. Even if it is not a serious problem, your doctor may recommend treatment to prevent many of the diseases associated with menopause, like osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.

If you have experienced migraines most of your life, especially if they coincide with your menstrual cycle, there is some good news for you. The stage where your period starts changing and your migraines worsen is actually called perimenopause; menopause does not officially start until a year after your last period.

Once you actually reach menopause, your symptoms are likely to decrease. While doctors are not sure, this may be related to menopause or may simply be because migraine symptoms naturally decrease with time. An interesting, but possibly painful statistic is that most women who experience early menopause due to removal of the ovaries, experience an increase in migraines. This is one of the many reasons doctors prefer to allow menopause to occur naturally if possible.

While migraines that coincide with menopausal symptoms may be horrible, they are also likely to be treatable. You should visit your doctor if you have the onset of or changes in your migraine symptoms. They have several options for helping you get back to your normal life.

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