Many women know the harsh reality of migraine headaches. You’re moving along with your day and
doing just fine. You’re keeping on schedule and handling the daily dose of stress. Then suddenly, it hits. You're feeling pain and a sensitivity to light and sound. And these are just a few of the symptoms that may knock you off your feet. You're experiencing the onset of a migraine headache!
While some migraines may only last a few hours, others can continue for days, completely disrupting your life. If you’re getting older, you may start to experience migraines for the first time, or find they are increasing. Before you start to panic that something major-league is wrong, you should consider that your migraines may actually be linked to your menopause.
So why do women entering menopause 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 causes bigger changes and may result in more frequent or severe migraines. Your doctor can probably help you treat these with lifestyle changes and herbal remedies. Be careful when starting hormone replacement therapy because it may actually worsen your migraines. Make sure you discuss this with your doctor.
Not all migraines are caused by fluctuating hormones. A fewer number of women have migraines triggered by an increased emotional state or getting stressed out. Once these women reach menopause, they’ll probably find themselves more emotional and even 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’re approaching the age of 50, and you begin to get migraines, you’re more likely to be entering menopause rather than have another more serious problem, but you should still consult a doctor. A very few number of migraines are caused by other serious health problems. The sooner these health problems are identified and treated, the better of you’ll be. Even if it’s 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 doesn’t officially start until a year after your last period. Once you actually reach menopause, your symptoms are likely to decrease. While doctors are not quite sure why, 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 at all 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 available today for helping you get back to your normal daily life.
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