Triggers and Treatment Of Hormonal Headaches

Experts estimate that 7 out of 10 migraine sufferers are female.  Among female migraine sufferers 60% to 70% are experiencing migraine due to their menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause. Headaches frequently occur during this stage because of the hormonal changes in the woman’s body –hence the term, hormonal headache or hormonal migraine.

Hormonal Headache Triggers

Hormonal migraines are mainly triggered by rapid changes in the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body.  That’s why hormonal headaches usually happen when a woman is

  1. Going through her menstruation.  Estrogen levels will instantly go down before the start of menstrual flow. Premenstrual headaches generally happen during or after the hormones estrogen and progesterone, reach its minimum levels.

 

  1. Going through menopause.  Estrogen and progesterone levels gradually drop during menopause, which is why hormonal headaches are often considered as part of the symptoms of menopause.

 

  1. During pregnancy.  Headaches are least likely to occur during pregnancy. Studies show that about 64% of women that suffers from menstrual/ hormonal headaches stated that their migraine attacks did not occur during pregnancy. However some women have reported that during pregnancy they experience migraines during the first trimester of their pregnancy, but eventually they disappear after the third month of their pregnancy.

 

  1. While taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. Doctors have discovered that headaches can become more intense for women who take birth control pills, especially the ones that contain high amounts of estrogen. These headaches  are often less severe in women who took birth control pills with lower doses of estrogen and those that took progesterone-only pills.

Hormonal Headache Treatment

  • Women who want to treat or prevent hormonal headaches are generally prescribed with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs).  Commonly used NSAIDS include: Advil and Motrin, Naprosyn, Nalfon , Relafen, Orudis.  This type of treatment should be started a couple of days before the menstrual cycle starts and continued until it ends.  However, prolonged NSAID use is not recommended because it increases the risk for gastrointestinal disorders.

 

  • For women with intense hormonal headaches or those who need to continue taking birth control pills are often advised to take a NSAID starting on the 19th day of the period up until the 2nd day of the next period. Other prescription medications that may be used such as ergotamine drugs, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsants. Like NSAIDs, these drugs are also taken a couple of days before menstrual cycle and are followed through until the end of the period.

 

  • For menopausal women, they should take post-menopausal estrogen supplements at the lowest possible dose regularly. Post-menopausal estrogen supplements, ideally, should be taken daily instead of weekly to spread out the dose but still provide the body with the minimal amount of estrogen it needs to prevent hormonal headaches and other menopausal symptoms.

 

  • Pregnant women must first ask the OBGYN for what pain medication they can take to treat hormonal migraines.  Drugs like paracetamol are considered safe even for pregnant women.  They can also try non-drug therapies of pain relive like meditation, massage, yoga, acupressure, compresses or positive visualization to help alleviate or at least minimize the pain of hormonal headaches.