A migraine is more than just an intense headache. It’s a neurological condition characterized by severe throbbing or pulsating pain. Sometimes, a migraine comes on suddenly, while other times, you can feel it coming before it strikes.
Family history, certain foods, and weather changes all trigger migraines, but they're not the only culprits. Hormones play a significant role in the body, including triggering migraines at certain times, especially during a woman's menstrual cycle.
At Integrated Body and Medicine, our team takes a holistic and conservative approach to treating various conditions, including migraines. We get to the root cause of the migraine and help you navigate viable treatment options for long-term relief.
Migraines are a real problem for many people, and they strike whenever they want to — even before and during your menstrual cycle. Some people experience migraines throughout the month, while others, especially women, get migraines before or during their period.
Menstrual migraines are severe headaches that occur when hormones fluctuate at the end of the menstrual cycle. The change in hormones triggers a ripple effect throughout the body, leading to various issues, including painful headaches.
But menstrual migraines don't just happen during your period. They can occur anytime your hormone levels change drastically. You could notice more severe migraines after having a baby or when you enter menopause.
Unfortunately, these migraines are often worse than regular migraines because of the hormone fluctuations. The symptoms are often similar to a typical migraine but may be more intense than usual.
So what's the link between hormone fluctuations and migraine headaches? Estrogen is the major contributing factor in menstrual migraines, especially when it drops within the days leading up to your period.
Estrogen and progesterone are vital hormones for reproduction. They also play a role in other body parts, including your brain. Drops in estrogen and progesterone may trigger other chemical changes in the brain, which leads to migraine headaches.
One of the ways estrogen leads to intense migraines is your pain tolerance. Estrogen increases your pain sensitivity, which makes migraines worse than usual. It also relaxes the blood vessels, which allows more blood flow to the nerves involved with migraines.
Serotonin is a crucial hormone in the brain that estrogen affects. When estrogen levels drop, serotonin levels decrease, sometimes leading to painful migraines around your period.
Unfortunately, you can't do much about the hormonal changes your body goes through before, during, and after your period. You may have to prepare ahead of time each month for the drop in estrogen right before your cycle to get ready for an impending migraine.
But you don't have to suffer through a menstrual migraine. There are plenty of proven treatments that provide relief until the migraine subsides. Some of your treatment options include:
Having a routine tailored to your specific symptoms is also a good idea. For instance, if you are extremely sensitive to light or sound, go into a dark, quiet room and wait out the migraine. Some people also swear by caffeine to reduce headache symptoms.
There's not a lot you can do to prevent a menstrual migraine entirely, but you can be proactive and take migraine medications when you know your period is coming. If you have regular cycles, taking medications a few days before and during your period significantly cuts down on symptoms.
Hormonal birth control is another option that's appropriate for some women, but not all. Women who smoke or have migraines with an aura shouldn't take hormonal birth control to help menstrual migraines.
Taking hormonal birth control reduces the drop in estrogen before your period, which could cut back on the number or severity of menstrual migraines. Birth control pills, patches, and rings contain estrogen, which helps prevent dips and spikes in hormones throughout your cycle.
Regular use of migraine medications is also an option if you've tried other conservative measures without relief. Regular use of these medications helps you prevent menstrual migraines from month to month.
To learn about all your treatment options for hormonal migraines, call our office in the greater Highland and Hammond, Indiana, area today, or use our handy scheduling tool to request an appointment for migraine treatment.
