Migraines worsen as women approach menopause
It is well-known that women experience more migraines than men at all ages. Triggers include stress, flashing lights and some foods (such as cheese and even chocolate!).
On top of this, women experience worse migraines as they approach menopause, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Vedanta Research.
“Women have been telling doctors that their migraine headaches worsen around menopause and now we have proof they were right,” says Vincent Martin, MD, professor of internal medicine in UC’s Division of General Internal Medicine and co-director of the Headache and Facial Pain Program at the UC Neuroscience Institute.
The risk for high frequency headache, or more than 10 days with headache per month, increased by 60 percent in middle-aged women with migraine during the perimenopause–the transitional period into menopause marked by irregular menstrual cycles–as compared to normally cycling women, says Martin, the study’s lead author.
The findings were recently published online in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, a publication of the American Headache Society.
3,664 women took part in the study
The menopausal years include both the perimenopause and menopause. Menopause begins when women have not had a menstrual period for one year. Symptoms such as hot flashes, irritability, depression and insomnia are common during both.
“Changes in female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone that occur during the perimenopause might trigger increased headaches during this time,” says Richard Lipton, MD, director, Montefiore Headache Center and professor and vice chair of neurology, and the Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The risk of headache was most apparent during the later stage of the perimenopause, which is a time during which women first begin skipping menstrual periods and experience low levels of estrogen, adds Lipton, also lead investigator of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study.
Women who participated in the study also reported that high frequency headache increased by 76 percent during menopause. However, researchers think that it may not necessarily be the direct result of hormonal changes, but rather due to medication overuse that occurs commonly during this time: “overuse of pain medications for headache and other conditions might actually drive an increase in headaches for the menopause group”
What to do?
You could queue at the doctor for the pill or oestrogen patches but there are many lifestyle modifications, herbs and supplements that really help even out hormonal levels. Watch out for our group!
Positive fact:
The peak intensity and frequency of migraines occur between ages of about 20 to 60 years of age. As you age past 60, migraine intensity and frequency decrease and, in some patients, migraines cease (medicine.net).
Important Facts:
- new headaches, in people with or without a migraine history, that last about 2 or more days should be checked by a doctor.
- a headache developing with other symptoms such as fever, stiff neck, confusion, or paralysis is considered a medical emergency