A Quick Guide to Perimenopause and Menopause Headaches
Menopause headaches are just one of the unpleasant symptoms women endure during this stage in life. Often, these headaches are more intense than regular headaches, and can be triggered easily and with no prior warning. Below is a simple guide to understanding the different types of menopause-related headaches, causes, and ways to help ease the pain and suffering.
Perimenopause Headaches
Perimenopause is the transitional stage in a woman’s life prior to menopause. Like during menopause, women can experience hot flashes, mood swings, and even debilitating headaches. These headaches are a result of fluctuations of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and the pain can be incredibly intense, like that of migraines. 30% of women will suffer from perimenopause headaches, and that number increases if the woman also had frequent menstrual headaches, eye problems, or a family history of migraines.
There are several triggers for perimenopause headaches, and these triggers vary from woman to woman. The most common triggers are related to stress, lack of sleep, and drinking alcohol, although some women will find that they are sensitive to strong odors or bright and flashing lights. Even sudden changes in the weather or skipping the occasional meal may be enough to set the wheels in motion.
It’s very important to keep track of what activities precede each headache. By recognizing the triggers, one can learn to avoid them altogether. If this is not possible, learning to recognize the familiar pulsating that rings in a whopper can be handy as well. If one is aware that a headache is about to begin then quiet meditation and breathing exercises can be started. This will help dull down the pain considerably.
Menopause Headaches
Once a woman enters full-blown menopause, her hormone levels begin to drop down and regulate. For women that had to deal with perimenopausal headaches, this can be a godsend, as the regulating of hormones can help ease the headache pain. For women that are not so lucky, menopause headaches can start small, on one side of the head, and work their way over, wreaking havoc on the woman’s body. Common symptoms of menopause headaches include throbbing pain, nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light, distorted vision, or even temporary loss of sight. These headaches are usually followed by an intense lack of energy, resulting in a “crash” or sudden onset of fatigue.
These headaches can be brought on by several factors. Many of these triggers are the same as the ones responsible for perimenopause headaches. Keep in mind that some of these headaches may also be the result of a short-lived allergic reaction to food that had never occurred before, and an unfortunate side effect of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, as well. Keep a headache journal to chart the activities, food, and medications that precede any headaches.
There are several ways women can help combat these headaches aside from the ways listed above for perimenopause. One of the most common ways to counteract the headaches is simply by taking over-the-counter headache and migraine medicine. It is important to take the pills early, preferably at the first sign of an oncoming headache or migraine. In addition to this, a more natural remedy would be to simply have a cup of coffee or herbal tea. Caffeine, depending on the woman of course, can be a wonderful way to help relieve a headache or migraine. In addition to this, the simple act of brewing the coffee or tea is therapeutic in itself. It allows the woman to take a few minutes for herself for quiet reflection and meditation.
If popping the occasional pill or mocha latte does not help, consider HRT if you are not already undergoing the therapy. Although HRT can actually cause menopause headaches, it can prevent them as well. It depends on the woman and her biochemistry. If you would like to consider HRT as a possible countermeasure, consult your doctor.