What is the link between menopause and migraines?

Uncategorized Aug 24, 2020

Have you ever wondered what link there is between Migraines and Menopause? Or why some women get rid of their migraines all together with menopause and others get significantly worse? This article will help to highlight the hormonal changes that happen during menopause and what their implications can have on both headaches and migraines.

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, women are three times more likely to get migraines than men. Specifically, the prevalence of migraine is higher after menarche, during menstruation, during the postpartum period, and during perimenopause. Around a quarter of all women attending menopause clinics self- report experiencing migraines during menopause or perimenopause. However, this is not a symptom of menopause. Not surprisingly, this change in hormone symptoms is to do with your sex hormones, in particular, estrogen. Estrogen is primarily produced in the ovaries, and affects a variety of tissues including your brain, bones, heart and skin. Estrogens can modulate nerve function, through neurotransmitters (chemical messengers), which interact with the blood vessels of the brain. Estrogen levels rise and fall during your menstrual cycle, with the highest levels being in the middle (around ovulation) and lowest during your period (late luteal phase). But what happens when you no longer get your period?

During Menopause, migraines are affected by fluctuating levels of estrogen. During Perimenopause, levels of estrogen fluctuate up and down erratically. In menopause, these levels can drop quite dramatically. There have been studies that suggest that estrogen withdrawal is a trigger of menstrual migraines without aura, while high estrogen levels can trigger migraine aura. Essentially, estrogen is a trigger for an underlying disorder. This underlying disorder is brainstem sensitisation. This brainstem is acting as a ‘fire alarm’ or sorts, which is affected by the ‘fire/trigger’ of the sharp decrease in estrogen. To help menopausal related migraines, both the estrogen fluctuation and the brainstem sensitisation need to be addressed.

Treatment of menopausal related migraines are tailored around maintaining a stable estrogen environment (around mid-luteal levels) a form of estrogen replacement to assist estrogen-withdrawal migraine particularly in women who would also benefit from relief of vasomotor symptoms (hot flushesetc). Several lines of research support that reducing the rate of decline in estrogen concentrations help prevent menstrual related migraine and migraine aura frequency, especially severe menstrual-related attacks.

Things that you can do to help with Menopausal Related Migraines:

- Phytoestrogens: found in lots of foods and dietary supplements,
phytoestrogens are seen as a natural alternative to estrogen replacement
therapy. Foods high in these can include:
o Soy and Soy products (tofu, miso, tempeh),
o Legumes (chickpeas, mung beans, Lentils

o Seeds (flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds),
o Grains (oats, rice, quinoa, rye), and
o Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage)

- Exercise - regular, intense exercise can help to moderate estrogen levels. Exercise is also good for decreasing stress, improving mental health and improving physical health and well-being. 

- Keeping a healthy diet - making sure you are maintaining a balanced diet of
fruit, vegetables and protein full of vitamins and minerals can help regulate
hormone levels and overall bodily health.

- Hands on therapy treating the cervical spine (the neck) - dysfunctions in the upper cervical spine act to increase the brainstem's sensitization which can cause headaches and migraines. Changes in hormones can then trigger an attack. Without the brainstem being sensitized by the neck, the hormones can no longer trigger an attack. Therefore treatment to the upper cervical spine can help to decrease headaches and migraines. 
- Naturopathy – A naturopath may be able to assist in increasing estrogen levels naturally through the use of botanical prescriptions and or
supplementation as well as advice on lifestyle factors that may be contributing to menopausal symptoms
- Traditional Chinese Medicine – many menopausal women find good results
with the addition of Eastern Medicine with Western Medicine, or from TCM
alone. Treatment with TCM may include acupuncture and herbal prescription.

 

The experts here at Melbourne Headache Solutions are passionate about treating those with headaches and migraines find a better solution. If you are suffering with menopausal headaches and/or migraines, are fed up with your pain and are seeking a different answer, contact us today on (03) 9486 7543 to book an appointment with one of our practitioners now. 

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