The Misery of Hormonal Headaches & Menstrual Migraines

Hormonal headaches. Menstrual migraines. Some women endure these each and every month. Are you one of them? Women are at least 3 times more likely than men to suffer from migraines due to hormonal changes.

Often related to shifts in your hormonal levels, they can hit as part of your cycle, in pregnancy, after pregnancy, during perimenopause or can be related to the use of the Pill.

Migraines and headaches have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The worst for me were during pregnancy. During my first trimester in my second pregnancy I got a three-day migraine, every ten days, like clockwork. With another baby to look after and no recourse to painkillers, I would play with my son in a dark room with an ice pack held to my head willing for it to pass. I still get hormonal headaches each month, though as I get older, when is changing, and as a nutritionist I know what helps to keep them at bay.

Lifestyle, dietary and nutritional approaches can help, but first let’s explore why they happen.

The Hormonal Rollercoaster

Oestrogen and progesterone help to regulate our cycle. During the first half of your cycle your oestrogen level rises. This is to help create a thick endometrial lining, should a pregnancy take place. Just after ovulation, if there hasn’t been a conception, oestrogen drops quickly, reaching its lowest level just before your period starts. This dramatic drop can, in some women, trigger either a headache or a migraine. As well as this oestrogen drop, our serotonin levels drop too. A feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin relies on oestrogen for its production. This drop in serotonin may also contribute to menstrual migraine.

Beginning, middle or end?

I hear from my clients that their hormonal headaches or migraines affect them at the same time each month. Most commonly it’s just before they bleed, when oestrogen levels are at their lowest. For others it’s around ovulation. (Particularly unhelpful if you are trying to conceive…) Some women tell me they’re afflicted in the first day or two of their periods.

Too much oestrogen?

If you experience other PMS or period symptoms including heavy periods, cyclic breast tenderness, mood swings, or bloating, high oestrogen may be the reason. Supporting high oestrogen, also sometimes called oestrogen dominance, can be part of the work of a nutritional therapist.

Perimenopause and Migraines

Perimenopause is the transition between our periods changing and the menopause, defined as no period for 12 consecutive months. Most women start to notice perimenopause symptoms in their 40s. As oestrogen levels naturally begin to fluctuate and eventually decline, women experience all manner of symptoms that include sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and night sweats. For some women, migraines are also part of their perimeno-picture.

Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions

The best approach to tackling hormonal headaches and menstrual migraines usually involves both diet and lifestyle measures. Identifying when you get them is a good start. Can you spot a pattern? A period app like Flo or Clue can help with this. Or just jot down when you get them and whether you notice if stress or certain foods make them worse. For example, red wine can be a trigger at certain times of the month for many women. Other potential culprits might be too much caffeine, not drinking enough water, or not getting enough sleep.

When it comes to food, an anti-inflammatory diet may be helpful. Think lots of legumes , fruit and veg, especially green leafy vegetables like kale, cabbage and broccoli, plus fibre-rich foods like oats and pulses. If you don’t have a poo every day, this may be part of the problem, especially if you also put up with oestrogen-dominant symptoms too. If you suffer from constipation, this is well worth resolving as part of your therapy to improve your hormonal headaches.

There are many supplements that can form part of a healing protocol but please take advice from a BANT-registered nutritional therapist. Taking the right supplements, at the right level, is important.

If you struggle with either hormonal headaches or menstrual migraine, consider booking a free call with me to explore working with me 1:1. Click here to book your FREE Discovery call now.