PERIMENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL MIGRAINES

Migraine headaches are no fun. They can be very painful, debilitating, annoying and complicated while appearing to put your life on hold for a day or two depending on the type of migraine. Some headaches are hormonal in origin. The term, perimenopausal, defines a distinctive transitional period occurring before and just after menopause.

PERIMENOPAUSAL MIGRAINE
Perimenopausal migraines are most likely caused by hormonal changes. 70 % of Americans suffering migraine headaches are women of which some incur this particular one. Since every woman is different, there is no rule of thumb as to why these headaches begin or answers about their origin. Hormonal changes, causing migraines to appear for the first time, usually occur before menopause.
Some menstrual cycles that begin to change hormones, bring on migraines that may worsen with time. Only when linked to these fluctuations will menopause cause these migraines to become less severe. Hormonal therapy also used for treating menopausal symptoms often initiate migraines which usually stop once the hormone levels lower consistently, and only after menopause. Because all women are different, hormone therapy displays a wide range of effectiveness. Some experience a decrease in the amount of migraines while others suffer worse symptoms. Birth control pills taken during perimenopause may provide additional relief from migraine and hot flashes as well as contraceptive benefits. As a preventative measure, when you are having perimenopausal menstrual migraines, a low-dosed estrogen medication may be taken on days surrounding your period; however, if your cycle is unpredictable there is no benefit to take this remedy. In all hormone therapy the goal is to stabilize estrogen levels.

MENOPAUSAL MIGRAINE
From the age of 50 to 52 years of age and ranging from 40 to 60 years, menopause usually occurs. Migraine attacks become more prevalent and painful, occurring more often simply because estrogen is not produced as much. Studies show that menopause makes migraine worse for about 45% of women and 15% note an improvement while others hardly notice any difference.
Menopause can be a difficult time for some women. Night sweats, lack of sleep, cyclical migraine patterns, neck tension, and hot flushes all add to the stress of menopause and can trigger a migraine. This is especially true for individuals with a tendency for migraine and after certain factors build up over a period of time, therefore increasing the chances of experiencing a menopausal migraine.

DEFINITION OF A MIGRAINE
Since these two varieties of migraine have been discussed it would help to know just what a migraine is. Actually a migraine is a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms. For most people, a migraine usually involved a debilitating headache. However, other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, and sensitivity to smells, lights, and sounds. A migraine can be very upsetting and you may have to be still for several hours. Many migraines can last up to 72 hours.

COPING WITH MENSTUAL AND MENOPAUSAL MIGRAINES
It is difficult to cope with migraine under the best of circumstances. During the menopausal years, women have to learn to cope with the symptoms of menopause as well as the symptoms of migraine, which can create hardship. One thing that you can do to help yourself is to keep a journal of when your migraines occur. Since there are many things like foods, traumatic situations, or stressful events that can happen in life, a journal helps recognize when such things become be a migraine trigger (something that causes a migraine to occur). After three months, you can look back through the journal and see if there is any tie between your migraines and events or foods. It can really help if you suspect your migraine to be a result of your menstrual cycle.

HRT TREATMENTS AND MIGRAINE HEADACHE
HRT (Hormone Replacement Treatment) is given to women to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. There is not much research as to the effects of HRT on migraine headaches in women. In some cases, it seems to help but in other cases, it makes the symptoms worse. It all depends on the dosage taken and the manner in which it is taken. Sometimes taking HRT in pill form can make symptoms worse while applying it as a patch or gel can improve symptoms. Many practitioners suggest that a woman take HRT for only a few years at the onset of menopause. It may have the added benefit of reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. However, you need to effectively communicate with your medical practitioner. Working together to supply the correct balance that your body needs is a primary objective to winning the battle over menopause and migraine headache.

Although perimenopause and menopause can be daunting events in themselves, experiencing a migraine on top of that can be difficult to bear. However, it is possible through knowledge and preventive actions that the frequency of migraine with menopause can be minimized.

Tags: menopausal symptoms, menopause, MENSTUAL migraines, migraine headache, migraine symptoms, Migraines, perimenopause, treatment