Treatment For Hormonal headaches

Many women suffer from headaches due to hormonal changes in the body.

Many people notice an association with their periods or menstruation with migraines (a type of headache). Menstrual headaches are often quite severe. These headaches may start 2 days before the onset of menstruation or during the first 3 days of menstruation. During this period, the amount of hormone called estrogen decreases in the body of the woman, due to which this headache starts. Migraines at this time of the month are usually more painful than migraines at other times of the month, and the pain is more likely to return the next day.

These types of hormonal headaches can be caused by other factors besides menstruation. The reasons are:

1. Birth Control Pills (Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills) – Some people get fewer headaches while some people get more frequent headaches than before. Especially during the week when they are off the pill and the hormone estrogen decreases.
2. Menopause or Menopause – As menopause approaches, headaches become more painful. There are two main reasons behind this. One, menstruation is more frequent during the period before fasting. Two, there are hormonal changes in the woman’s body during this time.
3. Pregnancy – Headaches tend to worsen during the first few weeks of pregnancy. This pain usually subsides or disappears by the last 6 months of pregnancy. And this headache does not harm the baby.

How to know if your headaches are due to hormonal problems

Keep a diary for at least 3 months to find out if your headaches are related to menstruation or not. If your headaches are truly menstrual-related, a diary will help you pinpoint exactly when the headaches started.

Here are some things you can do yourself to deal with these headaches

If you find out through the diary that you have a headache right before your period starts, you can do the following:

1. Eat small meals frequently to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. Skipping a meal or eating irregularly can cause headaches. Eat something light before going to bed at night and definitely have breakfast.
2. Develop regular sleep habits. Do not sleep too much or too little.
3. Avoid stress. If that’s not possible, try some way to deal with stress, such as regular exercise.

Hormonal headache treatment

Migraine treatment: Your doctor may prescribe some medicines for migraine during menstruation. Although these drugs do not contain hormones, they can prevent migraines. Like triptans, mefenamic acid etc.

Birth control pills without a break: If you think your headaches are related to taking birth control pills, tell your doctor.

If you have a headache during the week in which you abstain from taking the pills, you can take a few leaves of the pill without any break as advised by the doctor. Then the amount of estrogen in your body will not decrease suddenly.

Hormone replacement therapy:  Hormonal changes occur in a woman’s body as menopause approaches, leading to an increased incidence of headaches, including migraines.

Hormone replacement therapy can help reduce hot flushes (sudden extreme heat that spreads throughout the body), excessive sweating, etc.

However, if you suffer from migraines, you may be better off taking hormone replacement therapy in the form of patches or gels rather than tablets. They keep hormone levels more stable and are less likely to trigger migraines than tablets.

Estrogen therapy: If your periods are regular, your doctor may give you an estrogen patch or gel to use a few days before your period and a few days during your period. However, they are not usually prescribed for menstrual migraines.