Headaches and Menopause

What causes headaches during menopause?

There’s a link between your periods, fluctuating hormones, and the frequency and intensity of headaches. Approaching menopause, oestrogen supplies can become inconsistent, so it’s no surprise that women may experience more frequent and severe headaches around this time, even if they weren’t previous headache sufferers. Your body will also produce less progesterone and testosterone during this phase. These hormonal fluctuations can affect your frequency of headaches.

Hormonal headaches are most likely to develop in the two days leading up to a period, or within the first three days of a period. 

Migraines are the most debilitating subtype of headaches. Symptoms can be light and sound sensitivity alongside throbbing pains on one side of the head.

Oestrogen loss is a common trigger for migraines. Therefore, headaches can be worse when menstruating, lack of oestrogen — that gives some women relief from migraines post-menopause can cause more headaches in the months leading up to menopause.

This decline of oestrogen during perimenopause isn’t always consistent, so women who experience headaches related to their monthly menstrual cycle may have more headaches during perimenopause. It’s also common to experience more severe headaches during this phase. To get a clearer picture of what may be causing your headaches, keep a diary. Record when headaches strike. Note down what you’ve had to eat, drink, how much sleep you’ve had, what you were doing (working on the computer, watching TV) and what the weather was like. Keep a record of when you have a period to see if there’s a link between headaches, your cycle, and your hormones.

And the good news is….

The severity of perimenopausal headaches and migraines should decrease during this time, and they may stop altogether post-menopause, as your hormones settle and stabilise.

Reassessing your diet may improve menopausal headaches, as what and when you eat could be causing a sugar imbalance. When your sugar level drops it can cause headaches.

Triggers for headaches during menopause

Chocolate and menopause headaches?

There are plenty of old wives’ tales about food including chocolate, acting as menopause migraine triggers. There’s no evidence that it actually triggers a migraine during menopause, more likely that cravings increase during times of stress or hormonal changes, or as a migraine starts. If you are prone to headaches and perimenopausal, you may choose to avoid foods containing:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) a flavour enhancer and preservative that may trigger headaches, if you’re sensitive to it: found in Chinese food, pre-prepared foods, soy sauce, bottled sauces, and flavoured crisps

• Tyramine found in fermented and aged foods such as strong, aged cheeses can be a migraine trigger.

• Nitrates used as a food preservative, found in hot dogs and bacon, although studies are inconclusive.

Does caffeine trigger menopause headaches?

According to Migraine Action caffeine in coffee, black tea and colas are serious headaches and migraine triggers. If you drink lots, then wean yourself off gradually as caffeine is a stimulant and the lack of it may cause headaches. Switch to decaf teas and coffee instead.

Smoking and menopause headaches

Smokers tend to have more migraines and smoking more than five cigarettes a day may trigger a migraine according to the Journal of Headache and Pain.

Alcohol, menopause, and headaches - a toxic cocktail

Alcohol causes dehydration, a recognised headache, and hot flush trigger. Drink plenty of water alongside alcohol, or dilute wine as a spritzer or with ice cubes. You may become sensitive to wine and its various additives, which can cause severe hangovers and headaches. Certain red wines contain more of these chemicals.

Treating menopause headaches?

Your menopause sleep regime

Develop a regular sleep pattern. Avoid too much or too little sleep, get it just right; aim for 7-8 hours a night. Try our relaxation yoga stretching exercises before bed to help you sleep. Check out our YouTube vlog Yoga with Annie – Relaxation & Breathing Exercises.

Exercise to manage menopause stress

Menopause migraines and stress are linked. Attacks can develop as stress during perimenopause heightens, increasing and decreasing. Anxiety, tiredness, and fatigue can be helped with regular, gentle exercise to relieve any life stresses, helps with sleep, and improves the working of the heart. Simple stretching exercises help you with strength and flexibility. If you have fallen off the fitness ladder and wanting to know where to start, head over to our Move More page.

Treat menopause headaches naturally with acupuncture

A course of acupuncture may help ease troublesome menopause symptoms including reducing headaches, suggests a small study published in the online journal British Medical Journal The researchers concluded that acupuncture offers “a realistic” treatment option for women who can’t or do not want to, use hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Acupuncture for perimenopause headaches may be a natural treatment option worth exploring. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) headache guidelines say that a course of up to 10 acupuncture sessions may be offered where medication hasn’t worked, (be aware that there is no obligation for health professionals to prescribe this).

Treatment of hormonal perimenopause headaches

• Talk to your doctor and take along your diary recording when you experience migraines or headaches. They may recommend medication including aspirin or HRT depending on your medical history and other menopause symptoms. Ask about how to prevent headaches with magnesium.

• Treat headache symptoms when they happen – with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They can be bought over the counter and others are available on prescription. NHS Choices say they’re not suitable for everyone so DO check with the pharmacist or your GP.

• NHS Choices say your doctor can prescribe anti-migraine medicines to take around the time of your period such as triptans and a type of painkiller called mefenamic acid. These don’t contain hormones, but they can help to stop headaches from developing.

HRT and Headaches

The NHS Choices website says HRT is an option for headache treatment, whilst the Migraine Trust say, ‘There is little research evidence to be found on the effects of HRT on migraine in women. It can help some women but may aggravate it for others.’

If HRT has triggered headaches or made them worse, talk to your doctor as it may entail a bit of trial and error before finding the right HRT prescription for you.

HRT Patches or gels may be better, keeping hormone levels more constant than tablet form, don’t pass through the liver and are less likely to trigger migraines. 

If HRT isn’t an option for you then a more holistic approach may help, improve your menopause headaches with natural remedies.