The Biting Reality of Menopause Headaches

That persistent headache may continue to nag you as you go through menopause. Menopause headaches naturally occur for women in this stage in their lives, particularly those who are in perimenopause  (the phase leading up to menopause).
Blame it on the rise and fall of your hormonal levels as a menopause cause.  As your estrogen and progesterone levels continue their erratic fluctuations, an imbalance between the two hormones may occur. This hormonal “turbulence” may then cause physical symptoms, among them menopause headaches.
Menopause headaches are hormonal headaches, and they are similar to the headaches you used to have at the onset of a menstrual period, when hormonal levels would also go awry – another side effect that menopause causes. It is quite difficult to predict who is susceptible to them, and to what extent is the pain.
The bad news is, a pop of painkiller may not do the job of relieving menopause headaches, and discussing other plausible treatments may even induce more headaches for you: Everything seems inconclusive. There are raging debates going on in the topics of hormone replacement therapy, phyto-oestrogens, and acupuncture as treatments for menopause headaches and the general treatment of all menopause causes.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the act of administering estrogen and progesterone hormones in an effort to ease headache, remains controversial. Some have raised concerns over HRT’s long-term safety and efficiency, and others have even claimed that the procedure only worsens menopause headaches.

Consuming phyto-oestrogens-rich food like soya and tofu or the herbs Black Cohosh and Dong Quai is no less contentious. Some give merit to the practice, while others insist that there is no link between menopause headaches and phyto-oestrogens. Even the traditional practice of acupuncture, which supposedly “rebalances” the hormonal system, is getting its fair share of doubts as a cure for menopause causes.

It seems the only thing you can truly rely on are the staples: good nutrition, exercise, and a trip to the doctor. Talk to your physician about your physical discomfort, discuss all the possible treatments for your menopause headaches, and by all means, try one for size. An honest-to-goodness break from the madness may also help. Subjecting the body to relaxation, devoid of stress, may not be the foolproof, instant reliever we need, but it will at least calm the mind and body.

But then again, there is always hope. A 2008 study by Dr. Ellen W. Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia claims that all these hormonal-related symptoms and discomfort—yes, menopause headaches included—will gradually ease as menopause progresses. That’s at least something to look forward to.